In addition to participating with France at the upcoming EuroBasket tournament, he’s embarked on the most rigorous offseason program of his career in the hopes of staving off the nagging injuries that have plagued him in recent seasons.

When he does arrive in San Antonio, Parker will join a freshly revamped roster that not only features most of the mainstays, notably long-time teammates Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, but also newcomers LaMarcus Aldridge and David West. And given the age of the first two, this could very well be the last opportunity the Spurs have to pursue a championship as currently constructed.

“Super excited, super excited,” Parker told France 24 English. “That’s why I can’t wait to start with the national team and make sure we take care of business, and then go to the Spurs and try to go back at it and try to get another ring. It’s been an unbelievable summer for us. LaMarcus is going to help us a lot. I’m so happy that Manu and Timmy are back. And so we’re going for a last try, a last crack at it to try to win it all.”

I traveled back to my father’s homeland, Senegal, for the first time in a few years to visit my family and also to host a clinic at the SEED Academy. I’ve been working with SEED for years but realized that not much was being done for young women basketball players in Senegal, so I partnered with SEED to help launch the girls school. I’m really dedicated to helping the girls in the classroom and on the court and leading the clinic was an amazing experience.

It has been great being able to support the program and help run the women’s academy. When I arrived, the girls were really happy to see me, and they were smiling a lot and wanted to show that they can do great things on the court and in the classroom. It was a short clinic but we were able to go through a lot of drills and the older girls helped me coach, which was really cool. When we first practiced in the morning, the 16-year-old girls helped me to teach the 11-, 12- and 13-year-old girls how to dribble, pass and shoot. When we came back in the afternoon, we made the drills a little harder but the girls picked it up right away. It showed them that there is always room for improvement and you can add little things to each drill to get better. It was fun to see improvement that quickly.

During my visit to Senegal, I also went to visit my father’s hometown of Mpal. He is now the mayor there, so I got a great reception when I came. I established the Babac’Ards foundation in Senegal a decade ago to help develop education, and I hadn’t been back in three or four years—being able to see how much the town and the country had changed was amazing. Coming back as the mayor’s son and an NBA Champion caused a lot of excitement and everyone was very happy to see me. The whole trip was really magical.

I captured my travels on Instagram (@diawboris) and on a physical camera. Earlier this year, I went on a safari trip and brought my camera with me and took photos of wildlife that were used for the July edition of National Geographic For Kids. Each offseason I try and get better with my camera—I have a really deep passion for photography and sharing my travels through pictures.

Popovich has been well compensated during his NBA career, and he loves to coach. But he has always insisted he has other interests, from politics to wine to travel, and that he was going to experience them without a 24-second clock marking time. […] “You can’t live without basketball,” Popovich has told Larry Brown. “I think I can.”

His hip surgery had gone well, but there was a hiccup with a heart condition that was not unlike the atrial fibrillation that Fab Oberto had. Popovich underwent a procedure, and, after he had done everything the doctors had asked, palpitations returned. […] Brown says the episode occurred during the preseason tour in Europe. That eventually culminated with Popovich missing two games in late November for a second procedure.

A compilation of the best images from the past seven days. Catch up on the end of the NBA Summer League action, the days leading up to WNBA All-Star Weekend, and more by scrolling through the photos above.

Prior to a scheduled sitdown earlier this month with free agent All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge, the geniuses who run the New York Knicks insisted on the big fella “strictly” playing center should he re-locate to Gotham.

With suitors like the San Antonio Spurs competing for Aldridge’s services, it was an extremely long shot for the Knicks to land him, but failing to even meet with the big guy is another amazing chapter in the franchise’s long history of failure.

Per ESPN:

Aldridge said that Phil Jackson and the Knicks wanted him to “strictly” play center. Aldridge didn’t want to solely play center. Thus, Aldridge and the Knicks agreed to cancel their scheduled meeting in free agency, Aldridge said.

“They didn’t want to meet with me,” Aldridge said. “Some people said it was me. But it was both parties agreeing that we shouldn’t meet.”

League sources say Jackson decided it was best for the Knicks to cancel the meeting with Aldridge because the team prioritized the center position in free agency and Aldridge made it clear that he didn’t want to play center exclusively. The Knicks had already missed out on Greg Monroe, a top free-agent target, and decided to focus their efforts on free agent centers DeAndre Jordan and Robin Lopez, sources say.

Cap’n Jack, 37, was a member of eight teams and averaged 15.1 points and 3.9 rebounds during his fourteen-year run.

Jackson last played during the 2013-14 season for the LA Clippers; he helped the San Antonio Spurs win the 2003 title and was a key combatant in the unforgettable “Malice in the Palace” the following year.

The 31-year-old averaged 6.2 points and 2.2 rebounds last season (his third in the NBA) with the Indiana Pacers.

Per the Journal Sentinel:

The Bucks are looking for wing depth and are interested to see if the 31-year-old Copeland is a good fit. The 6-foot-8 native of Orange, N.J., averaged 6.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 50 games last season with the Indiana Pacers. […] Copeland averaged 8.7 points in his initial NBA season, in 2012-’13, and shot 42.1% from three-point range while playing with the New York Knicks. He signed a two-year deal with Indiana following that season.

In April of last season, Copeland was stabbed in the early morning hours near a trendy New York nightclub and suffered knife wounds to his left elbow and abdomen.

He played in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium before signing with the Knicks in July 2012. Copeland played four years at Colorado but was not selected in the 2006 NBA draft. […] The Bucks have 14 guaranteed contracts for the 2015-’16 season, meaning they have an open roster spot.

On when he decided to leave Portland: “I think through the whole process I never was sure I wanted to leave. I’ve always loved Portland. That city has supported me so much I never really thought I could leave I think until the last day or two. … The night before I made my decision is when I called them and I told them. Up until the last night I wasn’t leaving.” […] On how close his decision was: “It was really close. The only thing I can tell you is right before I made my decision I called Portland and told them that they weren’t in but obviously it went down to the last minute. They were in it. It came down to Portland, Phoenix and San Antonio and to the last minute Portland was in the running. I’ve had so much history there; I’m engraved in (the Blazers’) history books. I didn’t want to leave all that behind so it was tough.”

On his relationship with Damian Lillard: “Good guy. We have no issue with each other, no animosity. We got along very well during the season. I thought we played well off of each other. All of that stuff was just rumors I’ve dealt with before. Me leaving had nothing to do with any of that. It was just me feeling like being close to home and my family and being able to see them more. And just a change of scenery, I’ve been in Portland for nine years. I’ve been through a couple rebuilds. It was just time to try something new. It wasn’t anything toward Damian or the organization.”

On what he expects in his first game back in Portland: “Portland holds a spot in my heart that can’t be changed because of the memories will last forever. I think that city embraced me and I embraced them and we grew together. We went from a team that was called the ‘Jail Blazers’ to actually being a team that everybody loved, a team that everybody wanted to cheer for. We had a great transition period together I think both parties enjoyed. I think going back my first time might be boos because I think people are really hurt by my decision because they don’t understand why I left. I think my first time back I probably will be booed.”

“It was a grind,” Hammon said. “They’ve been together for 17 days. They really started to jell the last two or three games. They listened and they played really hard for me. I just really appreciate their attentiveness and alertness. They were tired but they fought through.” […] The Spurs participated in both the Orlando and Las Vegas summer leagues, but Hammon served as the head coach only in the higher profile Vegas event.

Jonathon Simmons scored 23 points and took home MVP honors for the championship game. Treveon Graham added 22 points for the Spurs. […] “It’s amazing. It was a humbling experience,” Simmons told NBATV of playing for Hammon. “For all of us. I really love her and I’ve only known her a couple days. She’s a real cool coach. She’s a player coach. That’s something we all like.”

Last year the Spurs made Hammon the first female full-time assistant coach in league history. Earlier this summer they told her she would lead the team in Las Vegas. […] “She’s a firecracker, she takes no prisoners, she’s got a great personality,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said during a visit to Minnesota in the regular season. “She knows her stuff. She’s competitive.”

On the eve of the Summer League championship game between the seventh-seeded San Antonio Spurs and the eighth-seeded Phoenix Suns, Kyle Anderson was named the Most Valuable Player. .@KyleAnderson5 named

“Slow Mo” has dominated the “summer classic”, which features 23 teams competing in 67 games over a period of 11 days.

From the press release:

Anderson has played in six games in Las Vegas, helping the Spurs advance to the Samsung NBA Summer League’s Championship game with a 5-1 record at the event. To date, he has averaged 22.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals, recording his best game in the desert with 25 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks against the Brooklyn Nets on July 16.

For the second straight year, fan favorite/sharpshooting forward Matt Bonner is back in the fold after re-signing with the Spurs on a one-year contract for the veteran’s minimum of roughly $1.5 million. […] The 2015-16 season will mark his tenth with the team, trailing only franchise legends Tim Duncan (19), Tony Parker (15) and Manu Ginobili (14) among active Spurs.

“To be with those guys for a tenth year and be an observer of their greatness is a tremendous honor,” said Bonner, who ranks 10th in franchise history with 602 games played. “And signing who we did and getting a few new guys, it’s worked out pretty well. I’m super excited and pumped for the season. I want to work my butt off to do whatever I can to help the organization.”

Bonner had to wait for two weeks to learn his fate as the Spurs took care of more pressing orders of business, including pursuing free agent prize LaMarcus Aldridge while retaining Duncan, Ginobili, Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard.

Written in conjunction with National Geographic, the book is described as such:

NBA star Boris Diaw of the San Antonio Spurs takes young readers on safari as he explores his off-court passion: wildlife photography! Join Diaw as he escapes from stampeding wildebeests, comes face-to-face with lions, and discovers why you should never come between a hippo and its watery home. Through engaging stories and photos by Diaw, readers will discover a whole new side to this basketball champ.

Footwear giant Nike has been fined €67,500, the equivalent of roughly $75,000, for putting an oversized Tony Parker France national team jersey on a statue of Winston Churchill to commemorate Les Bleus’ qualifications for the 2011 European Championships.

Sculptor Jean Cardot sued Nike and a promotional company for defiling his work, and failing to ask for permission. A French court ruled last month that Nike had used the statue for commercial purposes in violation of Cardot’s rights.

Unveiled in 1998, the statue is located on Winston Churchill Avenue near the Champs-Elysée in Paris. It is one of the few statues in France that doesn’t depict a French national.

The San Antonio Spurs will introduce free agent acquisition LaMarcus Aldridge to the local press Friday, and as part of the welcome package, the big fella will get to keep the only number he’s ever worn during his 9-year NBA career.

LaMarcus apparently asked the Spurs’ brass if he could keep his jersey number during contract talks this summer.

Per the Express-News:

“You want LaMarcus to feel part of the family,” Bowen said. “If I can have a hand in that, shoot, why not? I don’t play anymore.”

Consider it a “Welcome to San Antonio” gift for Aldridge. […] Save for two years at the University of Texas spent in No. 23, Aldridge has worn No. 12 every season of his basketball life. That includes all nine of his NBA seasons in Portland.

Not long after Aldridge agreed to a four-year deal worth more than $80 million to join the Spurs last week, general manager R.C. Buford phoned Bowen to ask about bequeathing the number to the team’s new prize. […] “I hope it helps (Aldridge) feel comfortable,” Bowen said. “If he’s comfortable, the sky’s the limit for him here. It’s one less thing he has to worry about.”

Duncan, 39, was named to the All-Star squad for the 15th time time in 2014-15, kicking Father Time’s butt to the tune of 13.9 points and 9.1 rebounds in 77 games.

Per the Express-News:

If so, that could give the Spurs more wiggle room under the salary cap after it was reportedly set at $70 million, roughly $3 million more than expected. Depending on how the exact figures turn out, they might be able to offer more than a minimum deal as they flesh out the remainder of the roster.

The Spurs currently have 11 players committed for the 2015-16 season, five of which have officially signed — Duncan, Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, Patty Mills, Kyle Anderson and, following his trade from Sacramento late Wednesday, Ray McCallum. (LaMarcus) Aldridge, (David) West, Green, (Kawhi) Leonard and Manu Ginobili will sign in the coming days, with no official word on Aldridge’s introductory press conference.

Duncan, 39, is coming off his 15th All-Star selection after becoming the oldest player in league history to average at least 13 points and nine rebounds for a full season. He and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only players in NBA annals to register at least 25,000 points, 14,000 rebounds and 2,500 blocks. […] The Spurs have won five championships with a 70.4 winning percentage during his career.

Ginobili, 37, put off retirement for another run with the Silver and Black.

Manu averaged 10.5 points, 4.2 assists and three rebounds in 70 games last season for the Spurs.

Per RealGM:

Ginobili, 37, will have the second season at his option as he maintains a year-to-year pulse on his playing status.

Ginobili had contemplated retirement ever since the Spurs lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference playoffs but announced on Monday that he would return next season, and now beyond that if he chooses. After his decision, Ginobili and the Spurs started discussions on a new deal, agreeing to a deal that would allow the Spurs to sign LaMarcus Aldridge.

Ginobili’s deal is for $2.8 million in Year 1 and $2.9 million in Year 2.

West, turning 35 next month, is desperate for a chance to chase a ring with his career winding down, and will certainly get his opportunity with the new-look Spurs next season.

A two-time All-Star, West has career averages of 15.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

Per the Express-News:

The Spurs now have four veteran big men committed to play for them next season: Team captain Tim Duncan, veteran power forward-center Boris Diaw, West and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Portland Trail Blazers All-Star who is due to sign a maximum contract.

West played his first eight seasons with the New Orleans Hornets before signing a free agent contract with the Pacers in 2011. […] Spurs fans will remember West from the Spurs’ seven-game Western Conference semifinals series agaisnt the New Orleans Hornets in 2008, when he averaged 20.1 points and 9.3 rebounds and had games of 30 and 38 points.

Ginobili is the latest roster piece to fall into place for the Spurs, bringing their commitments for the 2015-16 season to nine. (The NBA’s roster minimum is 13.)

He follows fellow veteran Tim Duncan, who announced last week that he’ll return for a 19th season. With him, Duncan and Tony Parker all in the fold, the Spurs will have their long-time core in place — not to mention seven of their top nine scorers from last year — as they integrate Aldridge into what is already being pegged as a top contender for this year’s championship.

But despite Ginobili’s age and inconsistencies, the Spurs will be more than happy to bring back another strong veteran presence who knows their system inside and out, particularly to serve as the de facto floor general on a second unit that has lost Marco Belinelli (Sacramento), Cory Joseph (Toronto) and Aron Baynes (Detroit). […] It is widely expected that the Spurs will bring him back for the room level exception of $2.8 million after renouncing his cap hold to pursue Aldridge, a four-time All-Star who averaged 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds for Portland last season, on the open market.

The big fella wants the passionate Blazer fanbase to know he cherished his time in Rip City.

Per The Oregonian:

Dear Rip City, Thank you!

Those two words on a page don’t begin to express the gratitude I have for the opportunity the entire Trail Blazers organization, my teammates, the media, and you fans gave me. The past nine years have been a blessing, and I will take all of the valuable memories with me as I head back home.

As I’m sure you can respect, my decision was a very personal one but not one I took lightly. Although I will be wearing a different uniform the next time I come back to Portland, please know that I will always hold my time in a Blazers uniform near and dear to my heart.

The 63-year-old is known for speaking candidly, and did so one day after Blazers GM Neil Olshey claimed the team had not been informed of the All-Star’s impending departure.

Per The Oregonian:

“We can confirm Mr. Hughes is no longer with the team,” Neil Olshey, Blazers president of basketball operations, said on Saturday. “It is our policy to otherwise refrain from commenting on personnel matters.”

Hughes, who has been the Blazers’ big man coach for the past three seasons, told WTHI television that Aldridge was leaving the Blazers in free agency, which enraged team officials, who said Hughes had no knowledge of the team’s free agent proceedings. […] The Terre Haute, Ind., station was interviewing Hughes while he was at a camp held by Blazers forward Meyers Leonard in Leonard’s hometown of Robinson, Ill.

Hughes, 63, has spent 25 years in the NBA as a player, coach and scout. He came to the Blazers after serving as an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2003-2010. He was the interim head coach of the Clippers for the final 33 games of the 2009-2010 season, when he went 8-25.

Masai Ujiri said earlier this year he had no doubt the Raptors would land an impact Canadian during his tenure as general manager, but citizenship is far from the only reason Cory Joseph becomes that guy.

Joseph, the Pickering, Ont., native and national team starting point guard, verbally agreed to a four-year deal worth $30 million US. ESPN reported the final year will be a player option and Joseph confirmed the news by tweeting: “#WeTheNorth here I come!”

Star free-agent forward LaMarcus Aldridge has agreed to sign a four-year, $80 million maximum contract with the San Antonio Spurs, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Aldridge, who turns 30 on July 19, had spent all nine seasons of his NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers, developing into one of the league’s best big men. He informed the Trail Blazers on Friday night that he had narrowed his choices to either the Spurs or Phoenix Suns, then chose the Spurs on Saturday morning.

Aldridge’s contract will include a player option after the third season, sources said.

Aldridge met with the Spurs, Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks andToronto Raptors, in addition to speaking with the Blazers, after the NBA’s free-agent market opened on Wednesday. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich andTim Duncan, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonardinitially met with Aldridge on Wednesday morning in Los Angeles. Popovich and other members of San Antonio’s coaching staff returned to Los Angeles for another meeting with Aldridge on Friday.

Duncan, a two-time Most Valuable Player and three-time NBA Finals MVP, was part of a Spurs contingent that met in Los Angeles on Wednesday with free agent big man LaMarcus Aldridge in an attempt to induce him to sign on with the team. It was during the trip to L.A that he had a chance to sit down with the only NBA head coach for whom he has played.

Duncan is coming off a season in which he earned third-team All-NBA honors and selection to the second-team All-Defensive team. He averaged 13.9 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game in the regular season. His output was even better in the Spurs’ seven-game playoff series against the Clippers: 17.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

Details of a contract for Duncan are not yet known but the Spurs made clear they wanted him to return if he wanted to continue to play.

“At this point in my career, I just want to win,” West said Wednesday night. “I’m just not sure the Pacers are in title contention right now. I’m going into my 13th season. I’ll be 35 soon. When I got to Indiana, there was hope of getting there and we played at a really high level for a couple of years. But I just don’t know if the team is in the position to win right now and I didn’t know if I’d have that opportunity to win a title if I’d stayed with the Pacers.”

“At this point in my career, it’s all about winning, and again, I don’t want to be in a position where we’re just fighting to make the playoffs, I want to be in a spot where we can legitimately taste the finals,” West said. […] Then there was this: You remember the post-season postmortem when Larry Bird all but begged Roy Hibbert to opt out of the final year of his contract? West was watching. West was listening. And West was seething. He thought it was a low-class move by the organization to, in his words, “throw Roy under the bus.”

“That’s one thing where I wish they would have handled better was the situation with Roy,” West said. “I’ll be honest with you, that bothered me a little bit, and I told Roy that. I’m the type of guy who feels like we’re all in this fight together and I’m not designed in that way to put it all on one guy. That did rub me the wrong way. That threw me off. I started reading some of that stuff, I started thinking, ‘Whoaa.’ I just didn’t feel good about that. I told Roy that it bothered me, that he’s still my teammate. […] You know, obviously Roy wants to play, he knows he’s unpopular right now, but we talked and he’s going to be a professional. He’s always been a professional. He’s had his ups and downs but he’s always been a pro and been diligent about his work. He’s working to get better. He’s going to fight. He’s not going to be one of those guys who’s going to become a locker room issue. But that was not the straw that broke the camel’s back. I just watched those finals, and I thought, ‘Man, I’ve got to give myself a chance.’ That’s the reason I made this decision.”

“He’s gone,” a source close to Aldridge said. “There’s a 99.9 percent chance that he’s out of Portland.”

The sources listed several reasons Aldridge is expected to leave the Blazers, for whom he has played since entering the league in 2006. They said he doesn’t believe the Blazers can attract top free agents to improve the team, that he feels somewhat underappreciated by the organization and that he simply is looking for a new environment to live in.

The Lakers, sources added to Stein, firmly believe they now will be in the Aldridge hunt. […] The Spurs, sources say, continue to be Aldridge’s most likely destination.

San Antonio Spurs star guard Tony Parker wanted to put his disappointing performance last season behind him as quickly as possible—Parker says he took less than a month off after the Spurs were eliminated from the Playoffs.

TP is set to help the French national hoops team defend its title at the EuroBasket tourney in September.

Per the Express-News:

“I only took three weeks off,” Parker said. “Very different from last year. Because I played so much, everybody was telling me I needed to rest after we won last year. I felt like I took maybe too much off. My mentality is a lot different. I feel like I have to rebuild my body and make sure I don’t get all the little inflammations, all the little injuries I had. I’m very excited about it. I’ve been working out since June 1 so hopefully it will pay off with Le Bleus and I will be in shape when I come in camp.”

“Just being on the track, lifting with our strength coach. I do some boxing; it’s fun. I never did a fitness program like that before. I talked a lot with Pop (Gregg Popovich) and RC (Buford) about what I can do to make sure I finish my career on a high. And so they know I’m committed, and I’ll do everything I can to be in shape, like Timmy (Tim Duncan). Timmy has been great at the end of his career, changing his preparation. […] I’ll do the same thing.”

Parker skipped last year’s FIBA World Cup, a welcome respite from a grueling schedule in which he played pretty much year-round, with the Spurs and his native France, for four straight years. It mattered little as he missed 14 games, and was frequently limited physically even when available. […] The biggest issue, Parker said, was a nagging hamstring issue that led to a variety of other lower-leg issues. As a result, Parker — who entered the NBA in 2001-02 at 19 — averaged just 14.4 points and 4.9 assists last season, his lowest output since the earliest years of his career. His Player Efficiency Rating also fell for a second straight campaign, from a near career-high 23.0 in 2012-13 to last year’s 15.9, barely above the league average of 15.0. Those struggles carried into the postseason, where Parker averaged 13.0 points and shot 36.3 percent while being soundly outplayed by rival Chris Paul.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/tony-parker-rebuilding-his-body-this-summer/feed/0SLAMonlineTim Duncan Says He Lost Over $20 Million Due to Financial Adviserhttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/tim-duncan-says-he-lost-over-20-million-due-to-financial-adviser/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/tim-duncan-says-he-lost-over-20-million-due-to-financial-adviser/#commentsThu, 18 Jun 2015 16:55:58 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=362826

San Antonio Spurs superstar forward Tim Duncan alleges that a dishonest financial adviser led to him blowing over $20 million, and the big fella filed a lawsuit back in January.

San Antonio Spurs superstar forward Tim Duncan alleges that a dishonest financial adviser led to him blowing over $20 million, and the big fella filed a lawsuit back in January.

Duncan, 39, says the money will not be a determining factor on whether or not he’ll return to the Spurs next season.

Duncan met with the financial adviser during his rookie season in 1998, and was persuaded to invest in hotels, beauty products, sports merchandising and wineries that the adviser owned or in which he had a financial stake according to the lawsuit.

Per Bloomberg:

“Luckily I had a long career and made good money,” the 39-year-old Duncan, who has been paid about $220 million over his career, including about $10 million this past season, said in a telephone interview. “This is a big chunk, but it’s not going to change my life in any way. It’s not going to make any decisions for me.”

In January, Duncan sued his former financial adviser, Charles Banks, accusing him of pushing him into investments despite conflicts of interest that ultimately caused substantial loss. Banks hid his own interest in investment opportunities recommended to the 15-time All-Star, according to the complaint. […] The losses from 2005-2013 were discovered during a review of Duncan’s finances as part of his divorce, the player said.

“I trusted someone to do a job that I hired them to do and they misused my trust and went astray and started using my money,” Duncan said in the phone interview, noting that he’s speaking out to dispel Banks’s assertions that the losses stemmed from a misunderstanding or that he was impatient and wanted out of certain investments. “I want people to understand that the statements he made are absolutely incorrect, that he’s just trying to make himself look good and save his own image when there’s nothing there to save.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/tim-duncan-says-he-lost-over-20-million-due-to-financial-adviser/feed/0SLAMonlineRobert Horry: ‘I Left the Lakers With So Much Hatred for That Team’http://www.slamonline.com/nba/robert-horry-i-left-the-lakers-with-so-much-hatred-for-that-team/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/robert-horry-i-left-the-lakers-with-so-much-hatred-for-that-team/#commentsFri, 12 Jun 2015 19:10:02 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=362286

If nothing else, we know that Robert Horry keeps it real. Like, realer than real. In a fascinanting and revealing piece for The Players’ Tribune, the seven-time NBA champ opens

In a fascinanting and revealing piece for The Players’ Tribune, the seven-time NBA champ opens up about playing with Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets; what it was like to be teammates with a young and desperately-hungry Kobe Bryant; and the ruthless, at times ugly business of the NBA that most fans don’t know (or particularly care) about.

Horry says that the Los Angeles Lakers did him dirty with a last-minute release prior to the 2002-03 season:

He would never stop. It was incredible. He practiced until one day, a couple months later, he finally won. If you literally said, “Kobe, I bet you can’t make five in a row by dropping the ball and kicking it in from half court,” that motherfucker would go out there and practice it until he could do it. And that’s what people don’t understand when they talk about champions — when they talk about a winner’s mentality. Kobe’s dedication to the game is unreal. And I mean that in the truest sense … it was literally unbelievable. The common denominator in every championship team is the mentality that Kobe has, and the mentality that Hakeem had with me at that Christmas party. You have to be so obsessed with winning that you pull no punches with your teammates, even when you’re in first place. Even when you’re a defending champ.

With Phil (Jackson), his ability to coach Michael Jordan and the success that he was able to lead those Bulls teams to is why he commanded so much respect from players. The titles Phil won in Chicago translated into titles in Los Angeles. His six rings is what made (Shaquille O’neal) get into the gym and become one of the most dominant forces in league history. However, as dominant as we were in that three-peat run, I feel we could’ve done more if it weren’t for egos and complacency. Honestly, I left the Lakers with so much hatred for that team. I felt that the way they handled my situation was so wrong. I remember going into the exit meetings after we had won the title and it was my year to opt out. You walk into the meeting and everyone is hugging you, kissing you, praising you.

I said, “I know I make too much money and I know you’ve got a hard-on for Karl Malone.” They had been wanting him for five years, ever since Phil got there. I’m a realist. Tell me like it is and I will respect you more, just don’t go behind my back. I told them I’d stay for $2 million, but they weren’t interested. All I asked them was to allow me to find a team before the money dried up and not to wait until the last day to release me. They told me, “We won’t do you like that.” […] Well, they didn’t do me like that. They waited until the next to last day to release me.

This is what athletes mean when they say, “It’s a business.” Hell yes, we make a ton of money to play a silly-ass kid’s game. But even if you’re the hero, even if you hit one of the biggest shots in franchise history and win multiple titles, your ass can be out the door the next day. […] I actually have five NBA titles thanks to the Lakers. Three from playing with the team, and two from them showing me the door.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/robert-horry-i-left-the-lakers-with-so-much-hatred-for-that-team/feed/0SLAMonlineBlake Griffin Asked Tim Duncan How to Become a Leader and Winnerhttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/blake-griffin-asked-tim-duncan-how-to-become-a-leader-and-winner/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/blake-griffin-asked-tim-duncan-how-to-become-a-leader-and-winner/#commentsWed, 06 May 2015 18:20:43 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=358251

Griffin began his transformation into the unstoppable force he has become last summer, reaching out to Tim Duncan for some advice on winning and leadership, and used some of the most cutting-edge workout technology during the offseason.

The story is much more technical and complicated, and the prologue was written during the months after the Clippers lost to the Thunder in six games in the Western Conference Semifinals last spring. It was a mixture of hours spent reinventing his shooting stroke with Clippers shooting coach Bob Thate … grueling conditioning workouts that pushed the envelope of science and technology … and a series of heart-to-hearts with the Spurs’ Tim Duncan about how to be a better leader and winner. […] “He really respects Tim,” said Griffin’s Atlanta-based business manager, Lorne Clark. “His thing was, “How do I become more of a leader and how do I help this team win? What do I have to do?”

Produce, Duncan told him. Lead by example. Make people respect your actions. Have personal relationships with each of your teammates so you can have one-on-one conversations with them when they need you. […] Griffin listened, and took notes. Then, during the idyllic summer months in LA, it was time to execute the plan.

The gym became Griffin’s lab. Most days, when Clark texted him at 7 a.m. to find out his schedule, Griffin was already there — either on the Clippers’ practice court in Playa Vista with Thate, resetting his shooting mechanics, or at a private training facility in El Segundo with his trainer, Robbie Davis, who taught Griffin how much harder, and smarter, he could work. […] After the loss to the Thunder, Griffin reported for duty at Davis’ Gameshape Inc. training facility — 17 miles from Staples Center, deep inside an angular, two-tone concrete warehouse surrounded by a mix of commercial and residential buildings. Griffin put on a breathing mask, strapped a heart-rate monitor around his chest and went to work.

Pop spoke for nearly 15 minutes with the local press, and touched on the Spurs’ injuries heading into the postseason, their disappointing NBA title defense, and what the team will look like next year.

The Spurs could return with a dramatically different-looking roster in 2015-16.

Per the Express-News:

You have always maintained no team wins a title unless fully healthy for playoffs. Did you feel your team entered playoffs a little bit behind in that regard? “I almost hesitate to answer that question because it sounds like an excuse but nobody wins a championship every year. Everybody wants to win one. Very few do. The bottom line was it was a real difficult year for us in a lot of ways but injury and schedule coincided to put us behind the eight ball a little bit. We recovered at the end of the year, had to dig down pretty deep to finish as well as we did and I think going into playoffs we certainly weren’t as healthy as we wanted to be in a few different cases. […] During the first round we needed to get some better performances from three or four people, very frankly. But that happens. When you do you win championships. The year we lost to Miami we didn’t have more than maybe two people who had real consistent play and Miami had four or five guys that were really on top of their games. The following year they had a couple and we had four or five guys on top of their games, fully healthy. […] That’s what it takes. But I think our guys gave it a great shot and considering the run they’ve been on, both long-term for decades and the last three years with Conference Finals, Finals, Finals that takes a toll. It’s hard to do and then followed by a pretty difficult year this year I don’t think we were as sharp, mentally and certainly physically, as we have been in the past. Given that I was really proud of them, especially in Game 7, the way they came back and dug down deep. It’s a great group and the run has been wonderful.”

Anything surprise you about the season? “As far as players are concerned I don’t know if it’s quite a surprise but I continue to be amazed by Tim Duncan. He was our most consistent player in the playoffs, at 39. He needed a little more help and I feel badly he didn’t get it. It wasn’t for lack of trying. […] To watch him is pretty spectacular, in itself. Even our players shake their heads at his performance at both ends of the floor. He wants it badly and does it the right way. It’s not about bells and whistles and grunting and dancing and doing commercials and all of that stuff. He just does it quietly and that’s why we feel badly when we don’t get it done for him.”

Do you see a scenario where he returns? “We haven’t talked yet about that. We’ve got a pretty good number of free agents so with R.C. and the coaches and the group we’ve talked about what we want to do going forward with the makeup of the team but the team will probably look considerably different than it looks this year because we have so many free agents and we want to re-tool a little bit. […] We want to try to start — not exactly over again — but these last four seasons have been a grind and we put the team together with that in mind, that this year we’d have all the free agents so we can decide what we want to do moving forward, as far as the makeup of the team. So we’ll spend a lot of time on that but as far as if guys are retiring or not we haven’t touched that.”

No one quite knows what the future holds for Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich and Manu Ginobili; Ginobili told the press following the devastating 111-109 Game 7 loss that retiring is definitely on the table, but that no final decision has been made.

Manu’s deal with the Spurs expires July 1.

Per the Express-News:

“I don’t know,” Ginobili said. “(Retirement) could happen easily. I still don’t know what I want to do and I don’t want to make decisions right after the disappointment of a game like this. […] I’ll have a lot of time. I’ll see my family and try to evaluate what happened during the season, how I feel and if I’m ready to go at it again. And I guess the Spurs are going to have to see what they want to do, also. It’s not a topic to talk about now. Still too early.”

“I am way slower than I used to be and I can feel it,” he said. “Sometimes it’s hard, but you understand it. I’m close to being 38 so I don’t expect to be the same as 25, but it’s not like I was always in pain like a couple years ago. That is something that is draining.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich refused to address the issue of potential retirement for Ginobili and 39-year-old team captain Tim Duncan. […] “People ask me about Tim and Manu and myself for the last five years what we’re going to do,” Popovich said. “It’s all psychobabble. I have no clue. We’ll probably come back. Paycheck is pretty good.”

But the consistent word on the personnel grapevine at the minute informs us that San Antonio and Dallas not only both believe they have a real shot at signing him but are also legitimately in Aldridge’s thoughts. […] Does Aldridge, even accounting for his Dallas upbringing, really want to go home to North Texas or down to South Texas, where he’d essentially be casting himself as the heir apparent to either Dirk Nowitzki or Tim Duncan? Wouldn’t he be putting himself in some awfully challenging circumstances to try to live up to the legacies of either of those certifiable legends?

Yet sources insist — at, yes, this early juncture — that San Antonio sits near or at the top of Aldridge’s list … unless the Cleveland Cavaliers were to lose Kevin Love and then somehow manufacture a way to sign-and-trade for him. […] The Knicks and Lakers, of course, also intend to enter the bidding. And there will surely be others.

The rumbles are out there, and thus impossible to ignore, that Aldridge is said to feel somewhat under-appreciated in Rip City because of the ever-growing focus inside and outside the organization on backcourt darling Damian Lillard. […] Combine that with the inevitable wanderlust that sets in after nine seasons in the same city — and just one trip beyond the first round of the playoffs in that span — and a top-shelf big man long presumed to be a lock to stay with the home team is suddenly in play.

… But it seems fitting that this hard-fought series reaches a do-or-die Game 7.

Per the OC Register:

“We missed shots. We made mistakes,” Blake Griffin said. “But the way we kept fighting …” […] After losing tight ones in Game 2 and Game 5, the Clippers focused on the right “E” word down the stretch Thursday. Coach Doc Rivers said his bunch was concerned with “execution” and not “elimination,” pushing through to grab a 102-96 victory in Game 6.

Chris Paul scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half, a major factor in forcing a Game 7 at Staples Center. The deciding game will be played at 5 p.m. Saturday […] “This series should go seven,” Rivers said. “It’s right.”

“It’s been entertaining,” Griffin said. “Even to play in it, even to experience three losses no matter what happens … the fourth quarter, it’s almost anybody’s game.” […] “We haven’t done anything just by winning this game,” Griffin said. “There’s still another game to be played.”

“I don’t complain much,” Rivers said after the game. “I thought we got some really tough calls tonight. Some brutal calls. The travel on Blake (Griffin), the goaltend on Matt (Barnes), which wasn’t a goaltend. You think about the playoffs, and they’re single-possession games. Those possessions were crucial. J.J. (Redick’s) foul that got him (fouled) out, J.J. didn’t touch anyone. It’s not why we lost, but those were big plays for us.”

“It was a good call,” Rivers said to a small gathering of reporters Wednesday at the team’s hotel in San Antonio. “It was. Great call. I just felt like it needed to be said.”

They lost Game 5 after DeAndre Jordan was called for basket interference, wiping out a basket by Blake Griffin that would have given the Clippers a one-point lead with 4.9 seconds left.

The Clippers have to respond, just as they did after getting blown out in Game 3 and winning Game 4. […] “We’ll be ready for (Game 6),” Rivers said. “I think our guys have been very resilient all year. And I would be very surprised if we weren’t ready to play a great Game 6.”

A few days removed from his 39th birthday, flecks of grey now in his hair and beard, Tim Duncan sat on the Staples Center scorer’s table late Tuesday, watching the chaotic scene unfold in front of him in the final seconds of the 239th playoff game of his storied NBA career. The game hung in the balance, the atmosphere thick with tension, and yet in that small moment Duncan looked utterly comfortable – happy, even – at what awaited him and his San Antonio Spurs. […] “It’s just a realization of mortality, I guess,” Duncan said late Tuesday. “I know my time is winding down so I’m enjoying it more.”

Clippers coach Doc Rivers complained long and hard about the game’s officiating. But when the subject of Duncan’s play was raised, Rivers’ tone immediately changed. […] “He’s a consummate pro,” Rivers said. “He never gets too high or low. It’s like he’s the easy button they have on that old [Staples] commercial. He’s their easy button. You knew tonight he was going to come and play. On nights where they don’t need him, he’s cool with that, too.”

“The reason their franchise has been great is (Gregg Popovich) and [Duncan],” Rivers said. “The reason is [Duncan is] a superstar and he cooperates with his coach. He allows him to be the leader and the coach of the team. And he’s the second leader. And I think that is so important. […] That should be [Duncan’s] legacy. Forget the basketball part. He’s allowed that franchise to be great because it’s never been about him.”

Gregg Popovich and the sixth-seeded defending champs know how fortunate they are to be in their current position.

Per the Express-News:

The Spurs have their first chance to close out the series in Game 6 on Thursday at the AT&T Center. […] “It was anybody’s game,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who is now 13-3 all-time in Game 5s of a tied series. “It was a missed shot here and a missed shot there.”

Kawhi Leonard added 18 points for the Spurs, including the pair of foul shots that sealed the game with 1.2 seconds to go. […] Blake Griffin finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds for the Clippers, but will more likely remember the the two points he had taken away.

After the game, (Doc) Rivers mildly complained about a series of “tough calls” that worked against his team. The Jordan goaltend wasn’t one. […] “I thought it was the right call,” Rivers said.

This series might have been much closer than one would think in a gentleman’s sweep, but the Rockets earned their first playoff series victory for the first time since 2009 thanks for a dominant performance from their three best players.

James Harden (28 points, 8 assists, +16) played a complete game, remaining in control of his team’s pace and offense throughout the night. Many different “x-factors” and “difference makers” can take credit for the Houston’s Game 5 and series win. However, Harden gave the Rockets something the Mavs simply don’t have right now in a legitimate MVP candidate. He was the best player on the floor every game.

Another main reason this series didn’t last any longer than five games was due to the reemergence of Dwight Howard (18 points, 19 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 steals). No longer did his knees seem to be holding him back. D12 looked as healthy, strong and dominant as his Orlando days. By putting up a line of at least 18 points, 18 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 blocks, Howard became just the second person in NBA history to post those numbers in a playoff game. Tyson Chandler (11 points, 6 rebounds) did everything he could to contain the big man, but when only one other teammate—Al-Farouq Aminu (14 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals)—was playing strong defense on a consistent basis, there was only so much D from Dallas.

The Rockets jumped out to an early 31-22 first quarter lead thanks to strong play from Josh Smith (who finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 7-12 from the field). He still might be unable to make his free throws, but he is seemingly doing everything else right at the moment (yes, even making threes). He scored eight points in each of the first two quarters, using his speed when Dirk Nowitzki (22 points, 14 rebounds) guarded him and his size when Dallas threw smaller guys at him.

For the Mavs, their two best players failed to find their shot for more than a couple jumpers in a row. Right when it felt like Nowitzki or Monta Ellis (25 points, 7 assists, 4 steals) might be getting into a groove, one of them would clank a pull-up jump shot or miss a wide open look. Dirk started the game 2-11, even getting good looks in the process. These two combined to score 47 points on 49 shots. Dallas as a team shot 38 percent from the field and 5-26 (19.2 percent) from deep. When playing the high-octane Rockets, it is almost impossible to win a game with those type of offensive numbers.

The Mavs, though, yet again found themselves in this one down the stretch. Dirk and Ellis played a key role in keeping their team close, and they were only facing an 88-85 deficit with 5:19 to go in the game. The continued grind from Aminu carried this team at times, injecting a spark into the Mavericks. The Wake Forest product gave the Mavericks vital qualities simply absent elsewhere on the roster: youth, length, defense and off-ball movement all in one player. But with JJ Barea (6 points, 9 assists, 3-12 from the field) cooling off from Game 4, Aminu’s hustle and fight wasn’t enough to put Dallas over the edge. Terrence Jones (15 points, 5 rebounds) was another reason the Rockets staved off Aminu and the Mavs, as the Houston forward scored 10 of his 15 points in the final quarter. Jones, Howard and Smith all played a major role in helping Houston outscore Dallas 52-36 in the paint.

This might have been a close game throughout, but the Rockets were simply the deeper, more talented team. And now they have the chance to play the Spurs or Clippers in the second round of the playoffs. They will need to start playing much better defense on the road if they hope to make it to the Western Conference Finals. And shoot better than 19-36 (52.8 percent) from the free throw line.

For Mark Cuban and the Mavericks, things don’t get any easier this offseason. Dallas has only notched four playoff victories the past four seasons since the championship run, so obviously the current process is not working. Cuban has overhauled a big chunk of his roster every single offseason or season (remember the Lamar Odom era?), creating a lack of any sort of continuity year to year. Should the Mavs persuade Ellis to opt in to the final year of his contract? Can Chandler Parsons get back to his healthy self or even Rockets self? Is it time to slide Nowitzki into a sixth man role? Could the team actually sign a marquee free agent? LaMarcus Aldridge possibly?

Whatever direction Cuban and Donnie Nelson decide to take this franchise, there is no doubt it will be yet another busy offseason with many transactions. And as long as Dirk is still in the picture, they will undoubtedly stay firm in attempting to build a contender for the near future.

—Jay Wallis

Spurs 111, Clippers 107 (San Antonio leads series, 3-2)

It was 88-85 Clippers with 10 minutes left in the game, and the differences in the two teams’ body languages were striking. The Clippers were playing with fury. Chris Paul was pounding the ball as he prowled up the court, screaming at everyone from the officials to his own teammates and flopping recklessly. Doc Rivers was bellowing at the refs, angry at several close calls that went against the Clippers. The Staples Center crowd was electric, pushing the Clippers on through fourth quarter fatigue as the team went on an 18-8 run to take the lead. Meanwhile, San Antonio was playing as if it was a Tuesday game in March. There was no extra intensity, just perfect passing, a hefty dose of Tim Duncan, flawless execution and typical Spurs basketball.

And in the end, the energy got the best of the Clippers. Los Angeles imploded down the stretch, making mental error after mental error en route to a heartbreaking 111-107 loss in Game 5.

With just over five seconds left, and San Antonio up 108-107, Blake Griffin drove to the rim for a contested layup; the ball rolled around the rim and appeared like it was going to go in, but DeAndre Jordan tipped the ball in while it was above the cylinder. The referees ruled it basket interference and gave San Antonio the ball back with 4.9 seconds left. Danny Green was immediately fouled with 4.1 seconds left. He made the first free throw, then missed the second. But thanks to a huge mistake by Austin Rivers, who completed failed to box out the shooter, the Spurs got the rebound and held on to win.

“It was a dumbass play, you can’t blame anybody but me,” Jordan said of the basket interference after the game, while sitting, devastated, at his locker.

Things were looking good for the Clippers early. They jumped out to a 27-13 lead behind very tough D and an 11-0 run. DeAndre Jordan also did this:

Then the Spurs got hot behind some key three point shooting from Patty Mills and a 3-2 zone, and after battling back it was 54-53 at the half.

In the third quarter, San Antonio slowed things down all the way by repeatedly fouling Jordan, during a particularly brutal stretch of play that seemed to go on forever. Jordan would eventually go 7-16 from the free throw line, and the Clippers were victimized by a number of questionable calls, including a phantom basket interference call on Matt Barnes and a seemingly ridiculous travel on Blake Griffin while he went up for a dunk and clearly took only two steps.

In the fourth, both teams continued to go at it, with the Clippers’ frenzy counterbalanced by the Spurs’ mechanical pace. Chris Paul was attacking the paint constantly, dropping Danny Green with this nifty move:

Boris Diaw hit a huge corner three-pointer to extend the Spurs’ lead to 103-96 with three minutes left. The Clippers then went on a 5-0 run thanks to a Chris Paul 3-point play and a lob to DeAndre Jordan, which set the stage for another devastating ending for the Clippers. The Spurs dominated from behind the arc, where they shot 47.8 percent while holding the Clippers to only one made three-pointer the entire night. Blake Griffin (30 points, 7 assists, 14 rebounds) led all scorers but was terrible in the fourth quarter. He was 1-for-9 with 3 turnovers and 2 missed free throws in the quarter, and played 41 minutes in the game. DeAndre Jordan (21 points, 14 rebounds) thrived in the paint, but had another bad game at the free throw line, going 7 for 16. Chris Paul (19 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds) was everywhere, but this is another heartbreaking defeat to add to his growing collection. He also had an absolutely brutal technical with 4 minutes left in the game for giving a chest pass to an official after a made Spurs basket in the 4th quarter. Seriously they gave him a technical in the fourth quarter of a must-win game for THIS:

For the Spurs it was an all-around effort. Tim Duncan (21 points, 4 assists, 11 rebounds) led the way, but San Antonio got major contributions from Kawhi Leonard (18 points, 3 assists, 9 rebounds), Patty Mills (13 points, 4 rebounds) and Boris Diaw (10 points, 7 rebounds) who was absolutely huge down the stretch, hitting a big three to extend the Spurs lead to 103-96 and also hitting a borderline impossible shot to beat the shot clock buzzer.

Now the Spurs lead 3-2, and are headed home with a chance to close out the series. This is the Clippers’ second absolutely crushing loss in this series. Can they recover? We’re about to find out.

The LA Clippers evened up their first round Playoff series with the San Antonio Spurs at 2-2, following a critical 114-105 road win Sunday afternoon.

Fellow All-Stars Chris Paul (34 points, 7 assists) and Blake Griffin (20 points, 19 rebounds) proved to be the difference, but got some unexpected help from Austin Rivers (16 points off the bench.)

The battle now shifts back to Los Angeles for an all-important Game 5.

Per the OC Register:

Chris Paul rebounded from finishing with as nearly as many turnovers (six) as points (seven) in Game 3 by torching San Antonio for 34 points with just two turnovers. […] Blake Griffin nearly matched his triple-double from Game2, scoring 20 to go with 19 rebounds and seven assists. J.J. Redick scored 17 – his most this series – and the Clippers bench’s 33 points almost equalled the Spurs’ supreme depth.

With people questioning whether the Clippers were tough enough to respond, they went and answered their doubters in convincing fashion. […] “I already believed in it,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “… A one-point loss and a 30-point loss is the same … and the other night we just lost by a lot of points and our guys knew that. It still counted as a loss, and I just thought our guys just (thought), ‘All right, we didn’t play well, let’s lace them back up and see what happens.’ And I thought we did that tonight.”

“It was tough,” DeAndre Jordan said of the (Saturday afternoon) film session. “It stings that we were capable of doing what we’d done before. It was just, we didn’t come out … blame it on us five, the starters. We didn’t come out with the right intensity or the pressure that we’re supposed … Today was different.”

Paul Pierce (18 points) sank three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter — including the dagger with 16 seconds left — to lift Washington to a 3-0 series lead. After draining the second jumper, he turned to the crowd and yelled, “That’s why they brought me here!” Yes, indeed. Oh, and bite your words, Masai Ujiri. You lost $35,000 AND made yourself look like a complete idiot.

The Raptors led 35-33 after the first quarter, but the Wiz, just like in Games 1 and 2, outscored Toronto by a good margin in the second period. The home team took a 54-48 lead into the half, and the Raps cut the deficit in the third, trailing by just a single bucket heading into the final 12 minutes. Pierce, John Wall, Otto Porter and Marcin Gortat closed out Washington’s third straight victory. While Pierce was the go-to man down the stretch, Game 3 was a full team effort from the Wiz. Gortat was a monster down low; the Polish Hammer shot 11-15 from the field for 24 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked 4 shots in 42 minutes of playing time.

Following a 26-point, 17-assist performance in Game 2, Wall went for 19 and 15 in 43 minutes. He was just too fast for the Raptors; whenever Toronto collapsed on one of his drives, he’d quickly find a teammate for an easy deuce. Wall even heard MVP chants while he was at the free throw line. Beal (16 points, 6 rebounds, 42 minutes of play) shot just 4-12 from the field but still managed a productive game.

Drew Gooden (12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Otto Porter (11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals) were the key contributors for Washington off the bench. Gooden drilled four 3-pointers in the first half, and Porter drained some huge shots in crunch time, including two 3-balls with under 4:30 remaining in regulation. The young’n out of Georgetown has been a big factor for the Wizards through three playoff games. At one point in last night’s affair, he swatted the shit out of DeMar DeRozan’s shot and proceeded to give him a murderous mean-mug. That’s the type of play Washington expected out of Otto when they drafted him with the third overall pick in the 2013 draft.

DeRozan dropped 20 points in the first quarter on 8-11 shooting, but he cooled off significantly the rest of the way. He finished 11-29 from the field for 32 points, pulled down 6 rebounds and dished out 6 dimes. After fouling out in Game 1 and getting injured in Game 2, Kyle Lowry had his first meaningful game of the series with 15 points and 7 assists in 38 minutes. But The Truth pierced any chances the Raps had at stealing a road win.

Washington will go for the sweep Sunday at 6:30 Eastern time.

—Eli Schwadron

Rockets 130, Mavericks 128 (Rockets lead 3-0)

The Rockets MVP candidate only made four field goals in Game 1 and remained on the bench during his team’s critical fourth quarter run from Game 2. It was a different, more expected story Friday night.

James Harden (career-high 42 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 15-24 from the field) took over Game 3, scoring from all over the court while getting the shooter’s role on a late-game field goal. The Mavericks changed their defense in an attempt to take away other parts of the Rockets’ offense, but it allowed Harden’s game to completely open up and ignite.

Harden wasn’t alone in his career performance as Dwight Howard (13 points, 26 rebounds, 2 blocks) completely dominated Tyson Chandler (8 points, 8 rebounds) in the paint. Chandler gave plenty of effort all night, as was the case for the entire Dallas team. However, Howard was too athletic, strong and rough for any of the Mavericks to contain or control. D12’s 26 rebounds ties Hakeem Olajuwon and Moses Malone for the franchise record in a playoff game.

The Mavs attempted some crazy matchups Friday night, such as Raymond Felton on Harden and Dirk Nowitzki on Trevor Ariza. For the most part, Carlisle tried his hardest to hide Dirk on defense, as his Big German just doesn’t have the same first step as he used to. And with the Mavs’ increased pace of play with Rajon Rondo out of the picture, Dirk looked completely gassed on defense most of the night.

On the other end of the floor, though, Dirk Nowitzki (34 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 10-19 from the field) turned into his former self down the stretch. He scored 14 of his 34 points in the final 12 minutes by calmly sinking his free throws, drilling 3-pointers and splashing fadeaway jumpers. It felt like déjà vu. Monta Ellis (34 points, 9 assists, 3 steals, 15-25 from the field) was just as good as his partner in crime and finally found his shooting touch. While Al-Farouq Aminu (15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) and JJ Barea (11 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds) brought scoring and energy in spurts, Dirk and Ellis were almost the closers Friday night.

But the problem wasn’t scoring—it was stopping. In the fourth, the Mavs scored time and time again when they needed to, but then followed many of these possessions by giving up a basket. Josh Smith (18 points, 7-15 from the field) and Corey Brewer (15 points, 2-3 on 3-pointers) have epitomized what it means to be x-factors, even if you don’t like that term. While the heavyweights of Dirk, Ellis, Harden and Howard battled it out, Smith and Brewer gave the Rockets the edge in terms of role players.

Out of all these players, Harden showed why he is the team’s MVP and came through with the biggest shot of the night. After the Beard converted an and-one to put his team up 127-123 with 56.8 seconds, Dirk responded by making three free throws after Harden fouled him on a 3-point attempt. So with a slim 127-126 lead with 33.8 on the game clock, everyone knew where the ball was going. Harden received it, used a pick to switch Chandler onto him and stepped back for a jump shot that rattled home after a few friendly bounces.

Despite Rick Carlisle’s clear post-game frustration in regards to the lack of calls (he has good reason to be upset), the outcome of this game has nothing to do with the referees. The Rockets took every swinging punch the Mavs threw at them (there were a lot) and stood their ground. Finally, the Mavs fought like they did on a nightly basis before the Rondo trade. But with a determined Harden, healthy Howard and invested Smith, the Rockets are simply the better team and will soon be moving onto the second round.

—Jay Wallis

Clippers 73, Spurs 100 (Spurs lead 2-1)

Last season, the Spurs faced their toughest test on their road to another NBA title in the first round, when the Mavericks somehow took them to seven games. While the Spurs may have treated the first round last year like an extended tune-up for the playoffs, things are a little bit different this time around.

The Spurs absolutely dissected the Clippers last night in a 100-73 victory to take a 2-1 series lead. It was a throwback to their total domination of the Heat in the 2014 Finals. Every rotation was perfect, every possession tactical, every cut precise, and by the end of it Spencer Hawes was flinging up turnaround hook shots trying to get the Clippers past the 60-point barrier.

The Spurs took an early 11-2 lead, and it was clear from the tip that the defensive intensity was going to be off the charts. The Clippers started off the game shooting 28%, and the Clipper bench started the game 1-12 from the field. The Spurs lead 46-38 at the half, but they still were in total control. Then Kawhi Leonard (32 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist) lost his mind.

The Defensive Player of the Year was honored before the game, and responded with his best offensive performance of his career. Leonard scored 13 of the Spurs’ first 15 points in the third to push the lead to 16. He also did this, which pretty much ended any hope of a Clippers comeback.

By the time the third quarter ended it was over. The Clippers had been held to a season-low 11 points and trailed 71-49. What’s terrifying is that Tim Duncan (4 points, 4 assists, 7 rebounds), Manu Ginobili (2 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds), and Tony Parker, who looked recovered from his Achilles injury and ended with 6 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds) combined for only 12 points. The Spurs got their production from the entire team, with Boris Diaw (15 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds) and Danny Green (11 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds) both contributing. Everyone on the Spurs scored except for one person, and it was a total massacre from start to finish.

For the Clippers the only saving grace was that the starters didn’t have to play huge minutes. Chris Paul (7 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds) was horrendous, and Blake Griffin (14 points, 5 assists, 10 rebounds) was pretty much the only one who did anything. Once Doc Rivers goes to his deep bench you know it’s over, and the Clippers just had no shot in this one. If the Clippers can somehow turn things around Sunday then they’ll be right back into it, but this is looking more and more like San Antonio’s series to lose.

For nearly 48 minutes last night, the Hawks and Nets went back and forth: Atlanta would create some separation, and the Nets would, improbably, answer.

Brooklyn fell behind 86-75 with 6:30 left, but six minutes later had forced a two-point game and a chance to respond once again. Deron Williams had an excellent look at game-tying jumper in the waning seconds, but the shot rimmed out. Kyle Korver then iced the game at the line.

The Hawks now lead the series 2-0, but both wins have been closer (and more entertaining) than expected. It’s a little surprising to see Atlanta play only a notch or two better than the Nets, especially while at home. Still, the formula for success has remained intact:
Paul Millsap led the Hawks in scoring last night with 19 on 7/11 shooting. Korver finished 3/7 from deep (and 4/5 from the line). Al Horford double-doubled and handed out 7 assists. Jeff Teague went for 16 and 6. DeMarre Carroll, scoreless for the game’s first 47 minutes, converted a crucial layup in crunch time. Dennis Schroder added 13 off the bench.

The Hawks’ consistency is just amazing. In each of the first two games, four of five starters have scored in double-figures (Schroder making for a fifth) and the team has stalled for two and a half quarters before really waking up. They’ve both been steady games decided late, and the Hawks have been sharpest when it’s counted.

Meanwhile, the Nets look pretty decent themselves. After a competitive Game 1, they inched a little closer to an upset win in Game 2. Brook Lopez was awesome, hitting 8/15 shots for 20 points to go with 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. Lopez was a force over seven postseason games in 2013 and looks strong so far in his second career Playoff appearance.

Joe Johnson played a nice game as well, scoring 19 points with 9 rebounds. He was hot early on and sank a much-needed three in the closing minutes. Jarrett Jack came off the bench to add 23 points. He caught fire in the second quarter and followed Johnson’s clutch three with one of his own. Williams struggled with his shot all night (1/7), but did manage 10 rebounds and 8 assists. (Mirza Teletovic played 4 minutes in his first game back following a three-month recovery from blood clots in his lungs.)

The Nets really could have swiped a road game here—certainly Williams’ miss has to sting pretty bad. But they’ve managed to play the No. 1 seed close twice on the road, and they get the next two at their place. Game 3 is on Saturday afternoon.

—Leo Sepkowitz

Blazers 82, Grizzlies 97 (Grizzlies lead 2-0)

The Portland Trail Blazers can talk all they want about not losing to Spanish players, but fact is, they dropped their second in this series and sixth in a row this season to Spaniard Marc Gasol (15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks) and his Memphis Grizzlies last night. Lighthearted comment on a sign or not, numbers don’t lie.

And right now, the most important numbers are 2-0. For the first time in franchise history, the Memphis Grizzlies started off a Playoffs series 2-0.

In last night’s opening quarter, the Blazers looked like they came out to play some ball. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 9 points on 4-5 shooting, and his team led 21-19 after the first 12 minutes of the game. In the second, Memphis turned the tables, going on a 20-6 run to take a 50-39 lead by halftime. LA had a 13-point, 10-board double-double by the break (which grew into a 24-point, 14-board statline in the box score), but the Grizz weren’t having any of that.

The home team controlled their turnovers, only letting 5 slip compared to their opponent’s 13. In addition to Gasol’s numbers mentioned up top, Zach Randolph finished with a modest 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, Mike Conley and Courtney Lee contributed 18 points each, and Beno Udrih added 10 off the bench—including this bucket:

Memphis put away Portland for good with help from clutch shots from Vince Carter and Jeff Green, plus a pretty right-handed layup from left-hander Conley that gave the Grizz a 15-point lead in the final period. Fan-appointed “Secretary of De-Fense” Tony Allen heard some chants of his name too as some icing on top of an already sweet cake.

So Portland, that Spanish player and all his buddies are looking mighty fine. You gonna rip ‘em in Rip City come Saturday night, or nah?

—Habeeba Husain

Spurs 111, Clippers 107 OT (Series tied 1-1)

To those of you crawling to work on the East Coast right now after staying up ’till 2 A.M. to watch the Clippers and Spurs last night: No you weren’t hallucinating after your third cup of coffee, this really was the wildest game of the Playoffs thus far. A game that featured nine lead changes, Joey Crawford T’ing up both coaches, a monster performance from Blake Griffin and a Godzilla performance from Tim Duncan proved that (to the surprise of no one) this is the best series of the playoffs thus far.

It’s almost criminal that one of these two teams has to go home after this series. Game 2 was a heavyweight fight, and the Spurs barely had enough to outlast a Clippers team that just ran out of energy in OT.

With Manu Ginobili (9 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds) stuck in foul trouble and Tony Parker (1 point, 5 asissts, 2 rebounds) sidelined for much of the game with an Achilles injury after dropping only a single point, Tim Duncan picked up the slack. Duncan had a monster game, attacking DeAndre Jordan all night and scoring 28 points, with 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Kawhi Leonard also picked up the slack, scoring 23 points with 9 assists and 3 rebounds. He also did this to J.J. Redick.

But despite Duncan’s big game, the Clippers still had an opportunity to win the game late in the 4th quarter. Thanks to a late rally that saw the Clippers cut the Spurs’ lead from 10 to take the lead, the Clippers lead 94-92 with 14 seconds left in the game and 9 seconds left on the shot clock. But while the Clippers tried to whittle the clock down to the end, Blake Griffin lost his handle and the ball fell into the hands of Boris Diaw, who shuffled it ahead to Patty Mills, who was fouled with 4 seconds left. He hit both free throws, and sent the game into OT.

The Clippers got huge performances from Blake Griffin (29 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) and DeAndre Jordan (20 points, 15 rebounds). Yet Jordan shot only 6-17, and San Antonio repeatedly fouled his down the stretch to prevent the ball from going to CP3 or Blake Griffin. His terrible free throw shooting had Staples Center going crazy whenever he actually made one, but 6-17 isn’t going to cut it against a team as sharp as San Antonio. The Clippers now travel to San Antonio with the series tied 1-1, with little momentum, no rest, and a late game collapse under their belt. Get your coffee ready, because this series is going to get even crazier as it shifts to San Antonio.

Led by a vintange performance from 38-year old Tim Duncan of 28 points and 11 rebounds, the San Antonio Spurs overcame Blake Griffin’s first career Playoff triple-double and sent their first round series with the LA Clippers back to Texas deadlocked at 1-1.

Griffin was spectacular in Game 2, finishing with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, but blamed himself for the 111-107 overtime loss.

Blake Griffin: "That game was pretty much 100% on me… I turned it over. The game's on me."

The botched Blake Griffin-DeAndre Jordan lob mattered. The J.J. Redick missed free throw that seemed to park on the lip of the rim before idling to the floor? Mattered. The Chris Paul game-winning try that wouldn’t fall over Tim Duncan’s out-stretched arm? Oh, you bet it mattered. Those Griffin turnovers? Yeah, they mattered. […] And that Redick 3 that was maybe a centimeter too long? Yup, it mattered too.

Led by Duncan (28 points), San Antonio played with higher levels of energy, intensity and execution than they did in Game 1. […] “They were in our airspace a little more,” Paul said. “Early, we couldn’t keep them off the free-throw line and I think it got them into a rhythm.”

“We’re going to be in this,” Rivers said. “It tells me it’s going to be a hell of a series.”

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich waived the white flag by pulling his starters in the game’s final minutes.

Per the LA Times:

“The team goes as we go and we sort of feed off each other,” Paul said. “Blake was so aggressive early and it opened it up for me.”

“The game was their defense was better than our offense,” said Popovich, who provided a summary after reporters’ questions weren’t to his liking. “Their aggressiveness, their physicality, their athleticism really hurt us offensively.”

The Clippers’ offense also hummed for most of the game. Crawford scored 17 points on seven-for-10 shooting for the Clippers, giving them all the production they would need from their much-maligned bench. […] The Clippers’ stars made all the difference as they stretched a nine-point lead to 18 late in the third quarter, with Paul and Crawford making three-pointers and Griffin — who also had 12 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and three steals — continuing his mastery of the Spurs’ Aron Baynes.

With four Championship rings and an extremely diverse portfolio of endorsement deals, Tony Parker is a model NBA star.

It’s an early season off day, and Tony Parker’s Spurs are in New York to play the Brooklyn Nets. For the more culturally curious members of the team, this might mean visiting a museum or other site. For others, catching up with Big Apple-based fam. For Coach Pop, a wine shop. For Tony Parker, though, coming through NYC means one thing: business.

At the moment, I and a handful of other media members are gathered at the hip Standard Hotel in New York’s Meatpacking District to listen to Tony speak on his partnership with Bollé Eyewear. From here, he’ll go to an event with Tissot Watches, who he also endorses.

In between his pseudo press conferences, the 32-year-old Frenchman, whose career already includes four NBA Championships and six All-Star appearances, sat with SLAM for a few.

***

SLAM: A big part of your partnership with Bollé is producing protective eyewear for young basketball players. How much exposure do you have to kids?

Tony Parker: I do camps every summer in France. I go back for three weeks and I do my camps. We have, like, 700-750 kids every summer, and I’ve been doing that for a lot of years. That’s why I was saying earlier, that I had no idea about the positive impact protective glasses can have on kids and that’s what made me want to do it. Obviously I had a big injury in my eye, and from there I started working with the Bollé team to try and create the best product that we can for kids.

SLAM: Do you like your trips to New York maybe more than other NBA cities because of all the companies and media that are based here?

TP: Yeah, I love it. It’s a great city, a lot of fun. A lot of French people here, too, so I can catch up with friends. Hopefully I will be an All-Star so I can come back and catch up with everybody again.

SLAM: Lots of NBA players have endorsement deals, but you may have the most interesting, worldly mix of deals of anyone in the League. You have this deal with Bollé. Your shoe deal is with the Chinese brand, PEAK. You have a special watch with Tissot. You’re backing that Earl Lloyd documentary [The First To Do It]. Can you speak on all this stuff?

TP: I just like to diversify. We only live once and I just try to do stuff that affects me. The glasses, they affect me. I like wearing watches, so when the Tissot brand came to me, it was an unbelievable opportunity to have my own watch, my own line, and it’s been going great with them. I have four watches with them now and we just did an extension. And then the project with the movie, that came to me from Michael Finley, my teammate who I won the Championship with in 2007. He knows I’m a big fan of the history of the NBA, the history of basketball. So I was kind of surprised that it didn’t happen before, that a documentary like that didn’t exist. I was like, ‘Really?’ I thought it was weird. So I was like, ‘Of course I’ll be part of it, it’s a great project.’ Then there’s PEAK, of course, and I have a deal with the car company Renault, where I’m an ambassador for them. For both of those deals we do a lot of stuff in China.

SLAM: Does most of this come from you and your team at CAA, or is this brands pitching to you?

TP: Half and half. People are coming to me, and then sometimes they pitch stuff and so, me, I’m always open to do stuff. Like I said, you only live once…

SLAM: Some people like to stereotype San Antonio as a place where “no one cares about players from there.” Has that ever been a challenge or do you think because you’re so international, that it doesn’t matter what market you’re in?

TP: It doesn’t matter that San Antonio is a small market for me. I’m international, I’m with the national team, I play in the Olympics. It really doesn’t matter.

SLAM: OK, and how do you balance all of this stuff with your basketball? Tim Duncan may have a few deals, but he, Kawhi, most of your teammates really stay out of the limelight, so I think it’s fair to say you’re the biggest celebrity and most-endorser friendly athlete on the Spurs. What’s Pop or Timmy’s attitude to you having more off-court commitments than everyone else?

TP: They don’t mind, they don’t mind. They trust my judgment and they know that playing well for the Spurs will always be my priority and then whatever I do off the court, they just trust me to find that right balance.

SLAM: Speaking of the Spurs, what’s your motivation this season? You guys have won so much, you took care of the revenge angle last season…

TP: Well, we never did a back-to-back and that’s a great challenge for us. Obviously we understand we have a big target on our backs and everybody wants to beat us because we’re the champions and we have to defend it, but I think for us, it’s a great challenge because we never did back-to-back. Yes, we won five Championships, but we never did back-to-back. Everybody, including Pop, is very motivated by that.

***

It’s mid-March now, and the Spurs are back in New York for the first time since the visit detailed above. At the time of the last visit, they were 13-4 and looking every bit like title favorites. From mid-December til late-February, however, the Spurs were barely looking like a Playoff team, and honestly, an injured Parker was a big reason why. He missed 13 games thanks to a sore left hamstring, and the Spurs struggled in his absence (Kawhi Leonard’s injury issues didn’t help either). Needless to say, the All-Star Weekend trip Tony was looking forward to never materialized.

Today, however, with San Antonio in town to play the Knicks and spring on the horizon, things are almost back to normal in Spurs land. In a recent five-game stretch, Parker went for 19, 24, 32, 23 and 31 points, looking as spry as ever. More importantly, the Spurs won four of the five games, with the one loss being an overtime thriller against the Cavs that looked a lot like a) the best game of the regular season and b) a lot like what the Finals may look like.

From a relatively mediocre statline a couple months ago, Parker is up to almost-familiar per-game averages of 14.4 points and 4.9 assists, with his typically solid percentages (48.6 percent from the field, 78.3 percent from the line).

Everyone knows that when Parker plays well, the Spurs are a different team. “If he’s not the Tony Parker of past years, we’re not going anywhere,” Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News recently. “But he’s serious about it and that’s good. He’s the main part of our game as far as pace and scoring. He makes a lot happen when he’s getting 18, 20, 26 points. There are not many nights when Timmy [Duncan] or Manu [Ginobili] are going to get 26 or 28, but the teams we are playing have a lot of those guys. Tony is our guy and we need that.”

With homecourt advantage secured through the first two rounds of the Playoffs and Tony, Kawhi and the rest of the Spurs finally feeling healthy, you’d really bet against them? Sounds like bad business to us.

Ben Osborne is the Editor-in-Chief of SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @bosborne17.

Anthony Davis led the way for the eighth-seeded Pels, scoring a game-high 31 points, to along with 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.

The top-seed Golden State Warriors await the underdogs from New Orleans in a first round Playoff matchup tipping off Saturday afternoon.

Per the Times-Picayune:

A red-clad enthusiastic sellout crowd of 18,524 cheered at the Smoothie King Center. Star forward Anthony Davis and point guard Tyreke Evans embraced and shouted in joy. Forward Quincy Pondexter said he was on Cloud 9. [….] And Monty Williams looked relieved in reaching the postseason for the first time since he first took over as coach in 2010-11 when he still had All-Stars Chris Paul and David West.

“It’s a long time coming,” Williams said. “A month and a half ago, nobody thought we would be in this position. We just said we’re going to take it one game at a time. So many people counted us out, mathematically, all kinds of stuff. We got here, had to go through the Spurs, the defending champs.”

“We just stayed together,” Davis said. “We have been in tough situations all year. We’ve played tough games all year. We just knew what we had to do. […] I love him (Williams). He’s done a lot of this team. He takes a lot of criticism and he deals with it. He envisioned that we were going to make the playoffs. He told us three weeks ago when we were three games out and everybody counted us out that anything can happen. We came here tonight and got it done.”

Bryant points to the nagging criticism regarding weight issues and lack of effort that plagued O’Neal throughout his Hall of Fame career, which are ironically, exactly the things that drove Kobe nuts about the big guy during their time together in Los Angeles.

Matt Bonner, star of cult classic video series “Coach B” and “The Sandwich Hunter” has been teasing for weeks that he’s outdone himself with maybe his best project yet.

Based on this short teaser, he might have just done that with Bonner, Kawhi Leonard, Aron Baynes, Patty Mills and The Coyote comprising “Spuran Spuran,” a send up on 1980s glam rock.

A larger video will apparently be released at some point. But for now, enjoy the spectacle of your Spurs being their lovable goofball selves, including Leonard in a Rush t-shirt and Baynes, slathered in which face paint, cradling a keytar.

“I’ve always been a Pop fan,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “I’m going to be even more of a Pop fan.”

The Thunder being fans of the Spurs? Russell Westbrook made it clear that he won’t be waving any silver and black pom-poms — “I’m not no Spurs fan,” he said — and you can hardly blame him after some of the slobber-knocking playoff series that the two franchises have waged over the past few years. […] “I’m not a Spurs fan either,” Thunder guard Andre Roberson said, “but I’m going to be rootin’ for ’em that game.”

“It’s crazy that there’s 82 games in the season,” (Enes) Kanter said, “and it comes down to one game.”

The Magic haven’t beaten the Raptors in three years and the trend continued Friday night. After Victor Oladipo (19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3-4 on 3-pointers) made a trey with 13.8 seconds to go in the game, Lou Williams (13 points, 3-7 on 3-pointers) drilled his own big-time 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds remaining to give the Raptors a 101-99 lead. Williams scored eight of his 13 points in the final 12 minutes. As important as Kyle Lowry (10 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) and DeMar DeRozan (29 points, 5 assists) are for Toronto, Williams provides a vital scoring punch off the bench that often times can’t be matched. Since Amir Johnson has been sidelined for the Raptors, Tyler Hansbrough (16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) has stepped into the starting lineup and been serviceable for Toronto, letting the game come to him and making shots when he gets the opportunity. The back-and-forth play in the final few minutes of the game reflected the entire game as these two teams went back and forth all night.

Hawks 104 (60-19), Hornets 80 (33-46)

In winning their 60th game of the year, the Hawks dominated the Hornets to eliminate their opponent from the Playoffs. With Al Jefferson hobbled for most of the final stretch of the season before they shut him down, Charlotte simply couldn’t muster up enough offense on a nightly basis, as Friday showed. The Hornets only managed 28 points in the paint while shooting 36.1 percent from the field and 8-30 (26.7 percent) on 3-pointers. Troy Daniels (15 points, 5-10 from the field) and Jason Maxiell (13 points, 4 rebounds) led the team in scoring off the bench, but their team always seems to have a different leading scorer every night. This isn’t due to balance—it’s due to inconsistency. The Hawks, on the other hand, have many different scorers because they have become a well-oiled machine that knows how to work in many different ways. Kyle Korver (16 points, 5 rebounds, 3-7 on 3-pointers), Al Horford (15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Dennis Schroder (14 points, 5 assists) led the way for Atlanta while Mike Muscala (17 points, 6 rebounds, 8-9 from the field) continued to fill in seamlessly for the injured Paul Millsap. The fact that Muscala can be placed in the starting lineup and consistently score in double figures is a testament to this team’s established and effective system. The Hawks finished with a 31-21 advantage in assists.

Nets 117 (37-42), Wizards 80 (45-34)

The past few months, Brook Lopez (26 points, 9 rebounds) and Deron Williams (9 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds) have rediscovered what made both of these players All-Stars at one point in their careers. These two poured it on in the first quarter as Brooklyn jumped out to an early 31-14 lead and never looked back. In these first 12 minutes, Williams was finding his teammates in all the right places while Lopez had no problem scoring on Nene (6 points, 2 rebounds) and Marcin Gortat (21 points, 16 rebounds). By the end of the first quarter, Lopez poured in 14 of his 26 points and Williams dished out seven of his nine assists. Bojan Bogdanovic (22 points, 6-6 on 3-pointers), who has been a crucial three-point scoring punch off the bench since the All-Star Break, kept the Wizards at bay in the final quarter by scoring 11 of his 22 points during this period. These three have been the key to the Nets turnaround down the stretch and could cause problems for the Atlanta if the Hawks starts to look past their first round opponent. With John Wall getting to rest for the night, the Wizard offense became completely out of sorts. Ramon Sessions (2 points, 10 assists, 1-7 from the field) can provide scoring off the bench, but when thrusted into the starting lineup for a point guard that practically runs the offense all by himself, Sessions suddenly becomes inefficient and misplaced. Bradley Beal (24 points) stepped up in Wall’s absence while Gortat finished with a strong double-double, but it wasn’t close to enough to slow down the thriving Nets. With a 37-42 record, Brooklyn and Boston are currently tied for the No. 7 seed.

Celtics 99 (37-42), Cavaliers 90 (51-28)

Kyrie Irving might have sat out of this game due to right hip soreness, but the Celtics didn’t care as the picked up a big victory against a potential first-round matchup. The three-headed guard attack consisting of Marcus Smart (19 points, 3-5 on 3-pointers), Avery Bradley (15 points, 2 steals, 7-12 from the field) and Isaiah Thomas (17 points, 5 assists) was in full force Friday night as Smart and Thomas knocked down important baskets down the stretch. Thomas, specifically, nailed a 3-pointer with 2:31 left in the game to extend a 94-88 lead to nine points that would seal the win. Kevin Love (19 points, 6 rebounds) and LeBron James (14 points, 7 assists, 0-5 on 3-pointers) led the way for a Cleveland team that struggled to shoot from deep…and kept chunking it up. The Cavs finished the night shooting 9-34 (26.5 percent) from the field. In large part due to Evan Turner’s (4 points, 13 assists) passing that continues to be a vital part of Boston’s offense, his team also had a 30-25 advantage in assists. The Celtics pulled out this victory by pouring it on early and closing out with strong defense. They scored 28 points in the first quarter and only allowed Cleveland to put up 13 points in the final 12 minutes. If the season ended today, these two would face off the first round of the Playoffs.

Pacers 107 (36-43), Pistons 103 (30-49)

The Pacers won their fourth straight game Friday night and kept pace with the Celtics and Nets thanks to Rodney Stuckey’s (24 points) shooting ability and George Hill’s (13 points, 9 assists) collectiveness at the free throw line. After Reggie Jackson (21 points, 9 assists) converted an and-one with 3:39 left in the game, Detroit held a 96-95 lead. Neither team had led by double-digits at any point on the night and it was still either team’s game to take. Stuckey then went on to knock down three straight jumpers to give Indiana the 101-96 lead. In Paul George’s (10 points, 13 minutes) absence, Stuckey has regularly taken on the role as the go-to guy down the stretch. Another player who has accepted this responsibility is Hill, who made six straight free throws after Stuckey’s three jumpers to keep Detroit from ever having the ball down one possession in these final few minutes. C.J. Miles (24 points, 5-9 on 3-pointers) didn’t make any crucial late-game shots but still managed to remind the Palace why he is one of the best shooters on the Pacers roster. Indiana currently trails both Boston and Brooklyn by one game for one of the final two playoff spots in the East.

Bucks 99 (39-40), Knicks 91 (15-64)

Milwaukee escaped the lowly New York Knicks due to a refocused and aggressive approach coming out of the locker room. Going into the half, the Bucks only held a 52-49 lead as Shane Larkin (14 points, 5 assists) already had 10 points for the Knicks. Langston Galloway (20 points, 2 steals) also played well for New York. With nothing to play for, New York was playing loose and seemed to be the more cohesive team in the first 24 minutes. The Bucks changed that in the third quarter when they outscored the Knicks 29-16. Khris Middleton (22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals, 3-6 on 3-pointers) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (23 points, 9 rebounds, 9-11 on free throws) played some of their best 12 straight minutes of basketball of the season in the third. These two combined to score 21 of the team’s 29 points in quarter, both showing of their ability to shoot jumpers, get in the lane and knock down free throws. As rocky as the Bucks have been since Brandon Knight was shipped off to Phoenix, these two have remained the backbone of the team’s future. Michael Carter-Williams (19 points, 7 assists, 4 steals, 2 turnovers, 8-13 from the field) has been a major reason for the team’s inconsistencies but ended up having a solid and efficient game against the Knicks. His team needs him to take good shots and keep his turnovers down if they want a shot at pulling off an upset in the Playoffs.

Spurs 104 (54-26), Rockets 103 (53-26)

In a game that could have Playoff seeding implications, Tim Duncan (29 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 12-15 from the field) came through in the biggest way possible. The Big Fundamental undoubtedly had his best game of the season, which included two clutch free throws and one controversial but vital block. After James Harden (16 points, 10 assists, 3 steals) got into the lane and made a layup with 1:20 on the clock, the Rockets trailed the Spurs 102-100. This was a game filled with a lot of runs for both teams, but it could have gone either way down the stretch. After Dwight Howard (12 points, 14 rebounds) fouled Duncan, the Spurs forward calmy sunk two free throws to extend the lead to four points. Harden, though, came right back and drilled a 3-pointer with 28.9 seconds remaining to bring the deficit to one point. Manu Ginobili (6 points, 4 assists) then turned the ball over with 6.1 seconds left to give Harden and Houston one more shot to remain in the top half of the Western Conference Playoff seeding. With Kawhi Leonard (18 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals) guarding him, The Beard received the inbounds pass, drove to the basket and was met by Duncan—who rejected him right at the rim. Duncan collected the rebound, ended the game and gave San Antonio a monumental victory. With their 10th consecutive win, the Spurs have now shot up the standings and are in the No. 3 slot, only half a game behind the Southwest Division leaders in the Memphis Grizzlies. The Rockets, on the other hand, have suddenly fallen all the way to No. 6…and would face the Spurs in the first round if the season ended today.

Pelicans 90 (43-36), Suns 75 (39-41)

Anthony Davis (19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists) led the Pelicans to the double-digit victory despite taking a blow to the chin that kept him out of almost half the game. The Unibrow easily handled the undersized Phoenix frontcourt, which is one of the main reason their team hasn’t found success against bigger, stronger West teams. The Suns only scored 34 points in the paint as Eric Bledsoe (19 points, 7 assists) did most of the damage in the interior despite being blocked five times. Tyreke Evans (14 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Eric Gordon (15 points, 2-5 on 3-pointers) gave Davis help in the scoring department and the entire team received a boost with Jrue Holiday (2 points, 5 assists, 15 minutes) returning for the first time since injuring his right leg on January 12. Even though it was a rusty performance for the Pelicans point guard, knowing that he is back is certainly comforting for the eighth seeded New Orleans team. The Pelicans are currently tied with the Thunder with an identical 43-36 record but hold the tiebreaker.

Thunder 116 (43-36), Kings 103 (27-52)

Russell Westbrook (27 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds) and Enes Kanter (25 points, 6 rebounds) carried OKC to the 13-point victory as Dion Waiters (22 points) and Anthony Morrow (19 points, 5-10 on 3-pointers) contributed 41 points. If the Thunder want any chance of passing the Pelicans for the eighth spot, they need these four to play big every night the rest of the way. With no DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings were missing a huge hole on both ends of the floor as Carl Landry (6 points, 6 rebounds) and Jason Thompson (5 points, 14 rebounds) simply couldn’t muster up enough offense for the frontcourt. Ben McLemore (20 points, 4-10 on 3-pointers) and Ray McCallum (17 points, 6 rebounds), though, made shots to keep Sacramento within striking distance. The Thunder eventually pulled away late in the fourth when Kanter made three straight shots on three straight Westbrook assists. With Durant and Ibaka out, these two must be the catalyst behind all of OKC’s offense.

Mavericks 144 (48-31), Nuggets 143 (29-50) 2OT

In one of the wackiest games of the night, these two teams needed 10 extra minutes of basketball to decide who would come away with the insignificant win. During regulation play, forward Dirk Nowitzki (25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Richard Jefferson (season-high 24 points, 4-8 on 3-pointers) led the way for Dallas while Danilo Gallinari (career-high 47 points, 9 rebounds, 7-12 on 3-pointers) seemed to heat up more and more as the game moved along. The Mavs, though, came out of the gates firing and built up a 73-50 lead right before halftime. Devin Harris (21 points, 9 assists) was a key part of the offense, scoring 12 of his 21 points in the first half. Dallas squandered this 23-point lead thanks to Gallinari having the game of his life. The Nuggets forward scored 38 of his 47 points in the second half, including 17 in the two overtimes. When Gallinari wasn’t firing away out of isolation, Ty Lawson (19 points, career-high 18 assists) orchestrated the rest of Denver’s offense. Neither of these teams were interested at all in playing defense and by the second overtime, Rick Carlisle sat all of his key veterans since this game has no impact on the Mavericks’ seeding. However, a certain point guard that has been suspended and injured this season suddenly came alive out of nowhere. And when I say out of nowhere, I mean out of nowhere. Raymond Felton (13 points, 5 assists, 2 steals). Before Friday night, the Mavs fourth-string point guard had played more than 15 minutes one time on the year and reached double figures one time (in that game of 15 minutes). Felton found himself starting in place of Rajon Rondo (rest) and on the basketball court of a tie game going into a second overtime. All he did was score seven of his team’s nine points in the extra period, including the game-winning driving laypu with 1.5 seconds on the clock. Felton wasn’t finished as he blocked Kenneth Faried (14 points, 9 rebounds) on the other end to finish the game on a ridiculous high note.

Grizzlies 89 (54-25), Jazz 88 (36-43)

When two of the top defensive teams faced off Friday night, it’s no surprise they both had to fight their way to almost reach 90 points each. (All the while, the Mavs and Nuggets were putting reached the 90-point plateau before their tipoff.) All-Star Marc Gasol (22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) pushed the Grizzlies to a crucial victory, being the force behind a late 16-4 that gave Memphis the lead. However, with his team up by three, Gasol fouled Gordon Hayward (27 points, 7 rebounds) on a 3-point attempt with 0.1 seconds on the clock. The Utah forward sunk the first two to make it a one-point game…and then missed the most important and final free throw to send the Grizzlies home with the dramatic victory. With no Mike Conley or Tony Allen, Beno Udrih (20 points, 9-13 from the field) and Courtney Lee (15 points, 6-10 from the field) both came through in a big way for Memphis, providing much-needed offense. Rudy Gobert (14 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks) had another strong double-double in the loss as Utah outrebounded Memphis 39-36. The Grizzlies held a 22-16 advantage in terms of assists. With the win, Memphis remains in the two slot and half a game ahead of the surging Spurs.

Lakers 106 (21-58), Timberwolves 98 (16-63)

This has obviously been a tough season for the Lakers and the future still seems foggy for their esteemed franchise. Whether any of the current players will actually be a part of their future is still to be determined pending this offseason. Even though they were playing an equally disappointing Timberwolves team, L.A. showcased some of its promising young players who could play key roles next season. Starters Jordan Clarkson (18 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals), Jabari Brown (20 points, 7 assists, 8-12 on free throws), Ryan Kelly (21 points, 7 assists, 5-6 on 3-pointers) and Tarik Black (18 points, 10 rebounds) all came through for the Lakers Friday night and overcame Andrew Wiggins’ (29 poitns, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 15-16 on free throws) incessant trips to the free throw line. These four Lakers starters all scored in the final quarter, making crucial shots with the Wolves trying to get within striking distance. Even if they don’t end up starters, all four of these players could end up becoming important bench players for the Lakers. They all played loose and honestly made the game fun in helping the Lakers rack up 35 assists to only 12 turnovers. Minnesota is now one game behind New York for the worst record in the NBA.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/blogs/postup/surging-spurs/feed/0SLAMonlineDwight Howard Wants to Play for 20 Years in the NBAhttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/dwight-howard-wants-to-play-for-20-years-in-the-nba/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/dwight-howard-wants-to-play-for-20-years-in-the-nba/#commentsThu, 09 Apr 2015 17:20:58 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=355532

Prior to his Wednesday night battle with Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard relayed his admiration for the Spurs legend. Howard, now in his 11th season, says he’d like to play for

Duncan, 38, is still going strong at an All-Star level in his 18th season.

Per the Houston Chronicle:

“That’s always been my goal- to play 20 years in the league so I think it can be done,” said Howard, who is in his 11th NBA season. “It would be great. Tim (Duncan) is still playing great basketball. He has migrated to different spots on the floor instead of just the post.”

Another big man who Howard has looked at as a role model for longevity in the league is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played for 20 seasons.

“When you play that long, you get an opportunity to do a lot of different things,” said Howard, 29. “God willing, I will play this game as long as I can. It brings a lot of joy to myself and to other people around me. Hopefully I can continue to play at a high level. To see Kareem do the things he did was amazing. Also, to see Tim and they way he is still playing, we have to make sure we take care of our bodies. The staff here has done a great job of helping me with that.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/dwight-howard-wants-to-play-for-20-years-in-the-nba/feed/0SLAMonlineRockets Set NBA Record for Three-Pointers Made in a Season (VIDEO)http://www.slamonline.com/media/slam-tv/rockets-set-nba-record-for-three-pointers-made-in-a-season-video/
http://www.slamonline.com/media/slam-tv/rockets-set-nba-record-for-three-pointers-made-in-a-season-video/#commentsThu, 09 Apr 2015 13:50:45 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=355485

The Houston Rockets have set a new mark for three-pointers made by a team in a single season—Trevor Ariza made a long-range bomb Wednesday night to give Houston 892 threes

The Houston Rockets have set a new mark for three-pointers made by a team in a single season—Trevor Ariza made a long-range bomb Wednesday night to give Houston 892 threes made, breaking the NBA record previously held by the 2012-13 New York Knicks.

The Spurs, looking terrifying once again with the postseason looming, have now won nine in a row.

Per the Express-News:

Their 110-98 victory over Houston at the AT&T Center was their ninth straight by at least 12 points. According to Basketball Reference, only the 2008-09 Cavaliers and 2010-11 Heat have ever had similar streaks.

The Spurs will go for the record — that they didn’t even know about, and probably wouldn’t care if they did — Friday with a return date against the Rockets.

Marcin Gortat posted a tremendous statline with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks. The Wiz Kids shot a franchise record 65.3 percent from the field. Robert Covington was the lone bright spot for the Sixers with 27 points. The rest of Philly’s starting five scored 2, 3, 5 and 6 points. Head coach Randy Wittman decided to rest John Wall, so the All-Star guard’s consecutive game streak ended at 208.

Raptors (46-32) 92, Hornets (33-45) 74

The first quarter of Raptors-Hornets was pretty ugly; the period ended with T. Dot ahead 20-15.

Toronto took off in the second 12-minute frame. The Raps had no trouble ending their seven-game losing streak against Charlotte thanks to the play of DeMar DeRozan (18 points, 7 assists, 3 blocks), Greivis Vasquez (16 points) and Lou “6 Man” Williams (16 points).

Kemba Walker dropped 15 points in a loss that likely ended any hope Charlotte had of making the postseason.

Magic (25-53) 105, Bulls (46-32) 103

D-ROSE BACK.

The youngest MVP ever returned to the floor played 19 minutes and scored 9 points on 3-9 shooting from the field. He looked pretty spry on one coast-to-coast finish.

Victory Oladipo (23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals) hit a layup with 1.5 seconds remaining to lift Orlando over the Bulls. Credit to James Borrego’s squad for coming back from down 15 in the first half to edge Chicago. Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 7 rebounds. Elfrid Payton nearly triple doubled with 17 points, 9 dimes and 9 boards. The kid is a gamer. In case you haven’t seen the 21-year-old Louisiana native in action very much this season, just peep his ridiculous put-back below:

Celtics (36-42) 113, Pistons (30-48) 103

Isaiah Thomas exploded for 34 points on just 17 shots, and the Celtics eliminated the Pistons from playoff contention. Pretty amazing that this will be the first time Stan Van Gundy misses the postseason, huh?

Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha were arrested early Wednesday morning and didn’t play. The Hawks were already short-handed without the injured Paul Millsap.

Luckily for the ATLiens, it didn’t matter in the end as they took care of Brooklyn despite blowing a big fourth-quarter lead. Al Horford (24 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals), DeMarre Carroll (19 points, 9 boards), Jeff Teague (15 points, 12 assists, 4 steals) and Mike Scott (20 points, 8 rebounds) carried much of the load. Brook Lopez posted 26 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks as BK fell into an seventh place tie with Boston in the conference standings. The Celtics own the tiebreaker, so the Nets could end up matching up with the Hawks in the playoffs.

Pacers (35-43) 102, Knicks (15-63) 86

First of all, let’s all wish Chris Copeland a speedy recovery. He had surgery on his elbow and abdomen after a scary incident at a New York nightclub in the early AM on Wednesday.

As for the game, it was smooth sailing for Indiana against the Knicks last night behind George Hill’s 20 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Langston Galloway put up 19 for the losing side. The Knicks shot just 34.5 percent from the field. The Pacers outrebounded NYK 54-34.

Grizzlies (53-25) 110, Pelicans (42-36) 74

The Pelicans couldn’t buy a bucket a night after beating the league’s best team.

Memphis’ gruesome twosome of Zach Randolph (15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals) and Marc Gasol (15 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) abused NOLA’s frontcourt. The Grizz completely dominated. The Pels are now tied with OKC for eighth in the West. They shot just 35 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from 3-point range in their worst loss of the season.

Cavaliers (51-27) 104, Bucks (38-40) 99

LeBron James posted 21 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and myriad of dunks as the Cavs eked out a win over Milwaukee. Kyrie Irving added 27 points, 9 dimes and 3 steals and Kyrie Love rounded out the big three with 16 points and 11 boards. With the win, Cleveland clinched the division title and wrapped up the second seed in the East.

MCW dropped 30 points and dished out 8 assists, and Zaza Pachulia put up 19 and 10, but the Bucks couldn’t get the job done against LEBRON JAMES, LEBRON JAMES, LEBRON JAMES.

Spurs (53-26) 110, Rockets (53-25) 98

Look out, NBA. Playoff Spurs are coming.

Tony Parker hit 13 of his 18 shots for 27 points, and Kawhi Leonard went for 20 points. He also snatched 4 steals and held James Harden to 6-15 shooting. Is Leonard making a late push for DPOY?

The Spurs have now won 9 straight games by 12+ points. Are they now the favorite to win it all? The aforementioned Harden dropped 22 points. Dwight Howard had 16 and 11.

Did Coach Pop and Harden compare beards? Yes, that happened:

Nuggets (29-49) 119, Lakers (20-58) 101

How about this statline for the Manimal: Kenneth Faried had 29 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks in a matchup of two lottery-bound teams.

The Nuggets shot nearly 60 percent in the second half. Danilo Gallinari hit 3-4 from 3-point range and posted 27 points and 7 rebounds. Ty Lawson had 16 and 8.

Gary Harris lost his ankles in a tragic accident:

Jazz (36-42) 103, Kings (27-51) 91

Utah has looked impressive over the second half of the season. In a win over Sac-town last night, Rodney Hood dropped 20 points and pulled down 8 rebounds. Derrick Favor had 18 and 11, and the Jazz came back from a halftime deficit to defeat the Kings.

Let’s see if Utah can carry over their recent success into 2015-16.

Mavericks (47-31) 107, Suns (39-40) 104

Newsflash, Suns: you probably don’t want to leave Dirk open in the final seconds of a close game.

Nowitzki (19 points) hit a dagger 3-ball with 22 seconds left to extend the Mavs’ lead to 106-102. Phoenix went on to miss three potential game-tying 3-pointers. Tyson Chandler scored 12 points and grabbed 23 rebounds, and Monta Ellis dropped 20. With the loss, the Suns are out of playoff contention. Meanwhile, Dallas locked up the seventh seed out West.

The Pacers and Hornets are in the mix of five teams all within three games of each other from the No. 7 seed to the No. 11 seed. Rodney Stuckey (15 points), C.J. Watson (13 point, 4 steals) and C.J. Miles (12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) all provided just enough offense for Indiana to cruise by the struggling Hornets. Charlotte played a decent first half through 24 minutes as Gerald Henderson (12 points, 7 rebounds) scored nine of his 12 points to keep the Hornets within 11. However, the Pacers used a late 11-0 run in the third to finish off a defensively dominating quarter in which they outscored the Hornets 21-9. Charlotte’s offensive woes spanned from the second and third quarter during which the team could only manage 21 total points. Even though the Hornets aren’t the most prolific offensive team, they struggled mightily Friday due to Al Jefferson’s (4 points, 11 minutes) lingering right knee issues. He didn’t play in the second half and Steve Clifford said they are considering shutting him down for the rest of the season.

Wizards 101 (43-33), Knicks 87 (14-62)

John Wall (6 points, 18 assists, 2 steals) might have struggled to score himself, but he messed around in getting a career-high 18 assists—one more than the entire Knicks team had Friday night. Seemingly every possession, it seemed as though Wall found the right teammate, in his comfortable spot, at the right time. Not only did Wall dish out 18 dimes, he did so through only three quarters—28 minutes. Marcin Gortat (19 points, 6 rebounds), Bradley Beal (18 points, 5 assists, 2 steals) and Otto Porter Jr. (17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals) were on the receiving end of many of these assists while Wall’s passing became contagious by the rest of his teammates. Washington finished with 32 assists compared to New York’s 17. The Knick are just treading water at the moment and trying to get to the NBA Draft. One silver lining of late, though, has been young guard Ricky Ledo (career-high 21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists). Even though he has been getting many of his recent stats in garbage time, he’s still blowing his former career-highs out of the water.

Bucks 110 (38-38), Celtics 101 (34-42)

The Bucks got a first half from O.J. Mayo (24 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 4-6 on 3-pointers) and a strong third-quarter run from Ersan Ilyasova (17 points, 4 rebounds) to get back to .500 and avoid a 12th straight road loss. Through the first 24 minutes of play, neither team had held a double-digit lead and looked like this would be a back-and-forth battle. Avery Bradley (17 points, 4 rebounds) and Mayo had some entertaining back-and-forth play in the first half. Mayo had seemingly carried the Bucks up to this point, already scoring 20 points by halftime. However, the Bucks veteran guard slowed down in the second half as Ilyasova began to heat up. Milwaukee entered the second half trailing 52-50. By the time just over seven minutes had passed in the third quarter, the Bucks held a 73-58 lead and wouldn’t relinquish it the rest of the way. During this 23-6 run, Ilyasova scored 11 of the team’s 23 points by scoring from the interior and perimeter. Seven Bucks players reached double figures and even all nine Milwaukee players that stepped on the court scored at least six points. Isaiah Thomas (23 points, 6 assists) made some shots late in the third and the fourth to try and get his team back in the game. But the momentum Milwaukee built at the start of the second half carried the Bucks to the finish line. The Celtics now trail the Heat by half a game for the final spot in the East playoffs.

Nets 114 (35-40), Raptors 109 (45-31)

After having one of the most inconsistent seasons in the NBA this year, the Nets are really starting to hit their stride at just the right time. They have now won eight of their last nine games, and that is in large part due to the emergence of Brook Lopez (30 points, 17 rebounds, 10 offensive rebounds). Brooklyn’s big man has always found a way to get his points for most of his career. What has made this recent run unique is his improved rebounding, blocking and overall defense. During this nine-game stretch, Lopez is averaging 27.2 ppg, 10.1 rpg and 2.9 bpg. Another reason the Nets have rediscovered their winning ways is because Deron Williams (season-high 31 points, 11 assists) has rediscovered his crossover. Whether it is due to the fact that he is finally healthy or has simply stepped up his game, D-Will looks like the player the Nets traded for back in February of 2011. These veterans have grown together in Brooklyn and looked very comfortable playing with each other Friday night. Even though these two Nets were clearly the stars of the night, Thaddeus Young (season-high 29 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals) played one of his best games as a Net and came up with a crucial tip-in. After DeMar DeRozan (27 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds)—who had a great game in the loss—knocked down a pullup jumper with 36.9 remaining, the game was knotted 109-109. After Williams couldn’t hit a tough jumper and Lopez missed the follow shot, Young stayed with it and tipped in the go-ahead basket. Joe Johnson (13 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds) then made 3-4 free throws to seal the victory. The Raptors now trail the Bulls by one game for the No. 3 seed.

Bulls 88 (46-30), Pistons 82 (29-47)

Pau Gasol (26 points, 10 rebounds) notched his 50th double-double of the season as the Bulls built up a large first-half lead and held off the Pistons down the stretch. Chicago outscored Detroit 22-9 in the second quarter and took a 47-35 lead into the half. However, thanks to strong play from Reggie Jackson (22 points, 9 assists), the Pistons quickly got right back in the game by using a 13-0 run early in the third quarter. These two kept it close the rest of the way before Gasol made a putback dunk while being fouled by Andre Drummond (14 points, 22 rebounds, 6 blocks) at the 5.7 second mark in the final quarter. This extended Chicago’s lead from one-point to four and kept Detroit from pulling off the upset. Jimmy Butler (18 points) helped in the scoring department while Joakim Noah (6 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds) almost notched a triple-double. If the Bulls want to find any kind of success in the postseason, these two—along with Derrick Rose—have to be one-hundred percent healthy.

Grizzlies 100 (52-24), Thunder 92 (42-34)

After 12 minutes of play, it seemed as though Russell Westbrook (18 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds) was going to have another one of those games as he torched the Grizzlies for 12 early points. However, then something interesting happened—Jeff Green (22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) started shutting Russ down. In the past, Westbrook has struggled against the Grizz, mainly due to Tony Allen’s pesky defense. But Friday night, Allen was sidelined. So Green started guarding Westbrook in the second quarter, and after Westbrook started missing shots, coach Joerger kept his wingman on the point guard. After starting the game 4-9 from the field, Westbrook would shoot a torrid 1-11 during the final three quarters. The only reason OKC hung around in this games was because Kyle Singler (13 points, 3-4 on 3-pointers) kept making timely shots and Enes Kanter (24 points, 17 rebounds) showed his versatility on the offense end of the floor. Kanter has boundless potential, but the first step in his development has to be in the defensive end of the floor. Marc Gasol (19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals) got his groove back against Kanter while Memphis as a team poured in 60 points in the paint—one game after letting Dallas score 72 down low. The Grizzlies are now tied with the Rockets for the No. 2 seed in the West while the Pelicans only trail the Thunder by half a game for the final playoff spot.

Magic 97 (23-53), Timberwolves 84 (16-60)

In a seemingly insignificant game in terms of this year’s season, Nikola Vucevic (career-high 37 points, 17 rebounds, 18-25 from the field) put on a career performance thanks to his aggression right out of the gate. Every time Vucevic touched the ball, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with it and wouldn’t let any of the Wolves big men get in his way. Tobias Harris (25 points, 12 rebounds, 4-8 on 3-pointers) also had a commanding double-double as these two helped Orlando have a 53-30 advantage on the boards. This also led to a 21-6 edge in second-chance points as the injury-ridden Wolves were simply outmatched Friday night. Andrew Wiggins (22 points, 10-13 on free throws) incessantly made his way to the charity stripe while Justin Hamilton (14 points, 9 rebounds) came just short of a double-double. But shooting 1-11 (9.1 percent) is going to make it difficult to cut into any type of deficit. The Timberwolves also only had 15 assists, compared to 23 for the Magic.

Spurs 123 (50-26), Nuggets 93 (28-48)

Make that 16 straight 50-win seasons for these Spurs. Before this game even got the chance to get going, the Nuggets were down and out against the defending champs. After Boris Diaw (13 points, 4 rebounds) made a turnaround hook shot with 9.7 seconds left in the first quarter, the Spurs held an insurmountable 23-point lead. Kawhi Leonard (20 points, 4 assists) put on a strong performance, continuing to look like one of the best two-way players in the game. He is becoming the glue guy in so many different San Antonio lineups. Danny Green (21 points, 7-9 from the field) had one of those games where it seemed like he could start making it from the stands. The shooting guard nailed all six of his three-point attempts while Marco Belinelli (14 points, 6 rebounds) drained four of his own off the bench. Danilo Gallinari (20 points, 8-12 from the field) and Jameer Nelson (14 points, 6-10 from the field) both played well individually, but this Nuggets team is in a funky place right now. They don’t have any chemistry whatsoever and look like a team in the rebuilding phase. However, Ty Lawson (7 points, 7 assists), Kenneth Faried (1p points, 6 rebounds) and Gallinari are in no way rebuilding pieces. They all were just on this team when they were the No. 3 seed in the playoffs and don’t seem like players ready to go down the winding road of rebuilding. The Spurs, on the other hand, have won six straight games and quickly showing up on West teams’ radars as the team not to face in the first round.

Pelicans 101 (41-34), Kings 95 (26-49)

Sacramento’s season has been over for quite some time now, but that hasn’t stopped DeMarcus Cousins (24 points, 20 rebounds, 13 assists, 4 blocks) from finding himself in very good and respected company. The Kings big man picked up his second straight commanding triple-double in Friday night’s loss, showing a wide array of skills he hasn’t shown that often up to this point in his career. Not only is rebounding at an extremely high rate, he is showing a new level of unselfishness while finding Ben McLemore (17 points, 3-9 on 3-pointers) and his teammates in the right spots. With his stat line, Cousins now joins Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor as the only players in NBA history to post 20 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in consecutive games. Even though Boogie put on a show against New Orleans, Anthony Davis’ (20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Tyreke Evans’ (19 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists) squad picked up a crucial win with OKC falling to Memphis on the same night. With Jrue Holiday still sidelined, these two have really picked up their play these past few months and are honestly the reason this team is still in the hunt for the No. 8 seed. And when Eric Gordon (21 points, 4-8 on 3-pointers) finds his stroke as he did Friday night, that opens up the floor for both Davis and Evans. If Ryan Anderson (9 points, 5 rebounds) can get back to his former self before the season comes to a close, the Pelicans might just sneak into the playoffs.

Blazers 107 (49-26), Lakers 77 (20-55)

At the start of this game, Jordan Clarkson (27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) scored the first six points for Los Angeles and seemed like he might be able to keep up with Damian Lillard (20 points, 5 assists, 8-15 from the field). The Blazers point guard quickly changed that notion by burying three consecutive triples all in the face of Clarkson, who should have gotten in Lillard’s face after he made the first one. If there’s one thing the scouting reports should say about Dame is the fact that he can heat up very quickly after just one make. Lillard finished off the quarter strong as Portland already led 26-12 after 12 minutes of play. This lead would build to 23 points early in the second and stay out of reach the rest of the way. While Lillard torched the Lakers early on, C.J. McCollum (career-high 27 points, 6 rebounds, 10-16 from the field) took the reins once the blowout was on and only made things worse for L.A. McCollum has a great vision for the game and never seems to play out of control. As much potential Clarkson has showed of late in being named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March, he still has a ways to go before being able to compete with this point guard duo in Portland. With the Blazers’ victory and OKC’s loss, Portland clinched the Northwest Division for the first time since the team was co-champions in 2009.

The Hornets entered this game going 3-9 in their last 12 games. But by blowing out a tired Pistons teams, Charlotte remained right in the thick of the hunt for the final playoff spot. Marvin Williams (18 points, 6 rebounds, 3-6 on 3-pointers) and Kemba Walker (17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) led a balanced attack as six players reached double digits. The Pistons, on the other hand, only had three players in double figures. As great as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (2 points, 1-6 from the field) has been at times this year, he will sporadically have one of these type of games, where nothing is clicking for him and he can’t even get 15 minutes of playing time. When you add the fact that Reggie Jackson (9 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds) turned the ball over there times and was blocked five times as well, it’s going to difficult to score on the Hornets. The saddest part of this game was watching Al Jefferson (11 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks) try to move. Even though Big Al isn’t a freak athlete when fully healthy, you can just tell something is off. He can barely move and is fighting through the pain. With the win, Charlotte two games back of the Nets for the No. 8 seed.

Spurs 103 (49-26), Magic 91 (22-53)

The Spurs are going to the playoffs for the 18th consecutive season after blowing out the Magic Wednesday night. This team is healthy, balanced and ready to legitimately defend their title once the playoffs begin in a few weeks. Different guys step up every night, forcing opposing defenses to pick their poison in first, second and even third units. In their double-digit victory against the Magic, Kawhi Leonard (10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) was the only starter than even had more than eight points while the Magic had four started with at least 14 points. Victor Oladipo (24 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) was exceptionally good late in the second quarter and towards the end of the game. However, San Antonio’s bench destroyed Orlando’s by outscoring them 69-12. Aron Baynes (18 points, 5 rebounds, 8-8 on free throws) showed his soft touch in the paint and Manu Ginobili (13 points, 3-5 on 3-pointers) remained the offensive constant in the second unit. Boris Diaw (11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, +37) also played very well in many lineups, making those around him better simply by being on the court. The Spurs also played disciplined perimeter defense by holding the Magic to 5-17 (29.4 percent) shooting on 3-pointers and only fouling them nine times on the night. This forced Orlando to only make nine trips as a team to the line, while the Spurs went 23 times. The Spurs have now gone 15-3 on their last 18 games and don’t seem to be finished moving up the ladder as the No. 6 seed. They only trail the fifth-seeded Clippers by half a game.

Wizards 106 (42-33), 76ers 93 (18-58)

The Wizards entered this game losers of five of their last six and in desperate need of a win to revitalize a struggling group of players. John Wall (13 points, 15 assists) and Marcin Gortat (23 points, 14 assists, 2 blocks) put on a show with two strong double-doubles and one of their best combined games in quite some time. And with Bradley Beal (20 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 9-18 from the field) finding his touch from two-point range and Otto Porter Jr. (15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) filling in exceptionally well for Paul Pierce in the starting lineup, the scrappy Sixers couldn’t only keep up with them for so long. This game was actually much worse than the final score shows as Washington actually led 91-57 with a minute left in the third during its wire-ti-wire victory. Bench players Isaiah Canaan (18 points, 6 assists, 4-9 on 3-pointers) and Hollis Thompson (16 points, 4-8 on 3-pointers) nailed some 3-pointers in garbage time late in the game when they never had a chance of making a full comeback. Ish Smith (23 points, 11-17 from the field) had an efficient and strong offensive performance in the loss, but only had 21 points of support from the rest of his starters. The Wizards also shot a blistering 57.9 percent from the field while the Sixers could only shoot 39.6 percent. Even though Washington only made eight more shots than Philly, they took 15 less shots. The Wizards also outrebounded the Sixers 47-34.

Celtics 100 (34-41), Pacers 87 (32-43)

Kelly Olynyk (19 points, 7-10 from the field) could barely even open his left eye for most of this game. The Celtics big man took an elbow from teammate Shavlik Randolph when playing one-on-one before the game. But he got his four stitches and came through when his team needed him most, keeping the Celticshalf a game out of the final playoff spot in the East. The Celtics built up an early 59-41 lead a few minutes into the third quarter before George Hill (21 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds) brought his Pacers back and made it only a 68-62 deficit going into the final quarter. Olynyk and Jae Crowder (13 points, 4 rebounds) responded by scoring the team’s first 13 points of the fourth and helping push the lead to 13 points midway through the quarter. The Celtics wouldn’t give up the lead the rest of the way. Tyler Zeller (19 points, 8-9 from the field) finished with a solid line in only 23 minutes of play while Evan Turner (13 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds) continued to show his newfound versatility with another triple-double. When Turner flopped after being traded from the Sixers to the Pacers, it seemed like he was simply a washed-up player who only put up big numbers because he was on a bad team. Even though the Celtics aren’t necessarily at the top of the East, he’s still contributing in a lot of different ways for a team making a late-season push for a playoff spot.

Nets 100 (34-40), Knicks 98 (14-61)

The Nets found a way to sneak by their in-state rival in the Knicks thanks to Deron Williams (26 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds, +20) revitalized night and Brook Lopez’s (18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 blocks) late-game tip. Williams looked like his former self Wednesday night, breaking out a killer crossover, knocking down jumpers from all over the court and finding his teammates in the right spots. His biggest shot of the game, though, was one of his 10 misses. After Cleanthony Early (14 points, 6 rebounds) knocked down a clutch game-tying 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining in the game, the game was knotted at 98-98. After Williams missed a jumper with 4.2 seconds left, Lopez skied for the offensive rebound, missed his first tip-in attempt and then grabbed another offense rebound as he putback his own miss with only two seconds left on the clock. Every game is important at the bottom of the East, and the Nets would have been upset with themselves if they allowed Andrea Bargnani (22 points, 5 rebounds) and the Knicks to upset them at Madison Square Garden. With the win, the Nets have now gone 9-2 in their last 11 games…after a five-game losing streak right before that. They will need to do everything to avoid that kind of losing streak down the stretch.

Rockets 115 (51-24), Kings 111 (26-48)

James Harden (career-high 51 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 8-9 on 3-pointers) poured in 51 points to help the Rockets secure their 51st win of the season and remain tied with the Grizzlies for the No. 2 seed. To put it simply, Harden was absurd Wednesday night. The shooting guard couldn’t be stopped on his way to becoming the first player in Rockets history to post two 50-point games in the same season. He used a balance of footwork, strength and ballhandling to get exactly where he wants on the court. He relentlessly pounded the ball to the rack and made it to the line 13 times in the process. He has carried this team with Dwight Howard struggling to make his way onto the court due to injuries. Even though this game was all about the Beard, DeMarcus Cousins (24 points, 21 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 blocks, 3 steals) countered Harden’s performance with a dazzling display of his own in recording his second career triple-double. He came four blocks away from a quadruple-double while snagging three steals as well. Boogie has really grown this season both on and off the court, becoming an absolute force in the paint. With no Dwight Howard, Joey Dorsey (7 points, 11 rebounds) and Terrence Jones (16 points, 7 rebounds, 7 blocks) could only hope their team scored more points than the Kings with the way Cousins was controlling all aspects of Sacramento’s offense. But with Harden in command and Trevor Ariza (22 points, 6-14 from the field) knocking down shots from deep, the Rockets built up a late eight-point lead that the Kings couldn’t come back from.

Bucks 95 (37-38), Bulls 91 (45-30)

The Bucks snapped the Bulls’ three-game winning streak and looked more like the team that was seven games above .500 going into the All-Star Break. Michael Carter-Williams (21 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds) has had a tough time finding his place on this Milwaukee team, getting inconsistent minutes to go along with his inconsistent play. Wednesday night, this wasn’t the case as MCW came up with a big jumper and layup down the stretch in playing 33 minutes. Fellow starters Ersan Ilyasova (16 points, 3-7 on 3-pointers) and Khris Middleton (14 points) provided some offensive support while O.J. Mayo (13 points, 3-5 on 3-pointers) came through with two crucial assists to Middleton midway through the fourth. As great as the Bulls have looked this season, they seem to put up duds like this every now and then. Jimmy Butler (25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) remains aggressive most of the night on his way to an 8-8 shooting night on free throws, but Chicago still only managed to shoot 5-26 (19.2 percent) on 3-pointers and 24-37 (64.9 percent) on free throws. For a team striving to go deep into the playoffs, the Bulls simply can’t have games when they jack up 3-pointers and miss their freebies. They will need to hope this was simply a one-game shooting slump for versatile big man Nikola Mirotic (6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 turnovers, 3-1o from the field), who missed all five of his attempts from deep.

Raptors 113 (45-30), Timberwolves 99 (16-59)

The Raptors came through with a monumental win against the Rockets Monday night and seem to have kept the momentum going in a blowout with against the Timberwolves. This team that has struggled to get quality play from multiple positions this season showed great balance from their starters and bench players as they used quick ball movement to get everyone involved. Seven players finished in double figures with Lou Williams leading the way. Through the ups and down of their inconsistent season, Toronto’s sixth man in Lou Williams (18 points, 3-9 on 3-pointers, +25) has been one of the most consistent forces on the entire team. Whether Kyle Lowry or Greivis Vasquez (14 points, 4-5 on 3-pointers, +26) is starting, he balanced both of them well with his fast-paced style of play. Tyler Hansbrough (10 points, 11 rebounds) also came through off the Raptors bench with his first double-digit rebounding performance of the season. This was a collective effort in taking down Andrew Wiggins (25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), Zach LaVine (22 points, 7 rebounds) and the inexperienced Wolves. These two rookies continue to show raw talent and give Minnesota fans hope for the future. The Raptors, though, were too much to handle as they built up a 31-point lead and cruised to a victory the rest of the way.

Mavericks 135 (46-39), Thunder 131 (42-33)

We all must have missed the memo in this one, but apparently the Mavs and Thunder teamed up Wednesday night to not play any defense for an entire basketball game. The Mavs shot 61.5 percent from the field for the game, which is the highest percentage OKC has allowed on the year. As great as some of these offensive performances were, there was no resistance on the perimeter by either team while Dallas scored 72 points in the paint. Let me repeat that: Dallas scored 72 points in the paint. This game was entertaining to say the least as Monta Ellis (26 points, 5 assists, 4 steals) and Chandler Parsons (22 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 10-15 from the field) provided just enough down the stretch to withstand Russell Westbrook’s (31 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds) 10th triple-double of the year. It’s gotten to the point where a triple-double simply seems to be the standard for this freak athlete point guard. He may still take a lot of shots, but he does so many other good things while on the court. He certainly didn’t do it alone Wednesday as Anthony Morrow (32 points, 6-9 on 3-pointers) was stroking it from deep while Enes Kanter (30 points, 16 rebounds) scored 30 points on a ridiculously efficient 13 shots. The Thunder became the first team to lose a game with three players reaching the 30-point plateau since Portland lost to Phoenix in four overtimes in 1997. They couldn’t pull it out because of late-game shots from Ellis and Parsons, who accounted for 18 of the Mavs’ final 20 points. Parson specifically used good footwork to step back for a turnaround jumper that extended Dallas’ lead from 132-131 to three points. Ellis would make one free throw with 2.4 seconds left to snatch the high-scoring victory. This is a huge road victory for Dallas as they now are ahead of the eighth-seeded Thunder by four games rather than two. Dirk Nowitzki (18 points, 2-5 on 3-pointers) added another milestone to his illustrious career as he became the seventh player in NBA history to score 28,000 career points. Even though he has slowed down a step this season, the Mavericks won’t realize just how much the Big German will be missed by their franchise until he actually retires.

Jazz 98 (34-41), Nuggets 84 (28-47)

In the one game on the night without a playoff team or contender, the Jazz reestablished themselves as one of the best defensive teams in the entire League because of budding big man Rudy Gobert (career-high 20 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks). When you watch the Stifle Tower play, it is surprising to think it took Utah this long to ship out Enes Kanter and give the 7-foot-1 Frenchman the opportunity to shine. He showed a different level of offensive abilities against the undersized Nuggets frontline by using sold footwork and soft touch down low. However, his team struggled defensively out of the gate as the Jazz allowed Kenneth Faried (19 points, 10 rebounds) and the Nuggets to score 29 points in the first quarter. This is a Utah team that only allowed 29 points in the opening quarter once–once–in March. In the second quarter, Trey Burke (12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) brought some fight off the bench as his team went on a 30-9 run to put this game well out of reach. Similar to the Grizzlies, when the Jazz get up by a large enough amount, it is difficult for opponents to find enough scoring to make a comeback.

Clippers 126 (50-26), Blazers 122 (48-26)

The Clippers bounced back from Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors, overcame a 19-point deficit, watched their starting All-Star point guard bolster his MVP case and notched their 50th win of the season all in the same game. Chris Paul (season-high 41 points, 17 assists, 4 steals, 1 turnover) put on one of the best displays of pure point guard play this season. He made shot after shot while finding all of his teammates from every spot on the floor. The Blazers were simply forced to pick their poison as the game moved on. Cp3 and Blake Griffin (24 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds) have established one of the most dangerous pick-and-rolls in the game, especially with Griffin’s rapidly developing passing ability. The Clippers’ second-half rally all came due to a shove from none other than Chris Kaman (8 points, 7 rebounds). With 25.7 seconds remaining in the third, CP3 grabbed a rebound of a missed tip shot from Kaman. Portland’s grizzled center decided to shove the pesky point guard, ensuing these two teams to get in a scuffle. At the time, Portland held a nine-point lead Just five minutes into the fourth quarter, L.A. had taken over the lead and would used back-to-back treys by Griffin and J.J. Redick (25 points, 8 rebounds, 5-9 on 3-pointers) to extend the lead to 106-100. The Clips led 114-103 with 3:04 to go and almost allowed LaMarcus Aldridge (29 points, 6 rebounds) to will his team back into this game. After two Aldridge free throws, Portland only trailed 122-119 with 19.5 seconds to go. Chris Paul, though, would calmly knock down four straight free throws to finish off his dominating night with a victory. Even though James Harden and Stephen Curry clearly have a legitimate case to make for the MVP, CP3 deserves some recognition for successfully running one of the best offenses in the entire league.

Pelicans 113 (40-34), Lakers 92 (20-54)

Anthony Davis (20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks) just can’t stop growing. The Pelicans big man put up another strong performance as his Pelicans cruised by the lowly Lakers. Even though his 20 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks has been a regular stat line this season, the Brow has suddenly become a legitimate distributor of late. Davis now has dished out five or more assists in six of his last nine games—something he hadn’t accomplished in a single games prior to March 9. He seems to show a new skill set every single time he steps on the floor, which is a bad omen for the rest of the League. Davis had more room to work Wednesday night thanks to the return of Ryan Anderson (17 points, 2-4 on 3-pointers), who has been sidelined since February 21. The stretch four scored 17 points in 22 minutes, providing the perfect balance with Davis and Omer Asik (8 points, 10 rebounds) down low. Guards Norris Cole (17 points), Tyreke Evans (16 points, 8 assists), Eric Gordon (10 points, 5 assists) and Quincey Pondexter (10 points, 4-5 from the field) all played well against the young Lakers guards. Coming off his game-winning shot against the Sixers, Jordan Clarkson (18 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds, 7-9 from the field) claimed his second consecutive double-double. He is quickly growing into a possible point guard for L.A.’s future. The Lakers, though, simply couldn’t make enough shots to keep up with New Orleans’ hot shooting. While the Pelicans shot 56.4 percent from the field, the Lakers only managed to shoot 44.6 percent.

Poor Aron Baynes returned from a sprained ankle injury Sunday night, and played reasonably well in 18 minutes of burn (four points and seven rebounds.) All anyone will remember, though, is Jeff Green’s monster poster dunk.

Unfortunately for the visiting Memphis Grizzlies, that was their lone feel-good moment Sunday, as the San Antonio Spurs took care of business 103-89.

Kawhi Leonard exploded for 15 points in the fourth quarter, en route to a game-high 25.

“We are not dumb,” guard Manu Ginobili said. “We were going to keep going to him.” […] By the time Leonard had finished his carnival gallery-style shooting flurry, scoring his team’s first 15 points of the fourth, the Spurs had all but put a headstone on the Grizzlies’ last-gasp rally.

With Leonard playing fourth-quarter assassin on his way to 25 points and 10 rebounds, the Spurs (47-26) polished off a dominating sweep of what was supposed to have been a challenging three-game homestand. […] How’s this for a measuring-stick week? Not only did the Spurs ring up victories over Oklahoma City, Dallas and Memphis by a combined 71 points, they did so while trailing for all of 93 seconds.

“I was getting the shots that I wanted,” said Leonard, who finished 11 of 17 and came within a point of his regular-season career high. “Guys were looking for me, and they fell.”

Before the Thunder took the court Wednesday night in San Antonio, Thunder coach Scott Brooks was asked what specific areas his team must focus on to shore up its struggling defense. […] Brooks paused, pondered the question and then chuckled. “Well,” Brooks said, “there’s a lot of things to focus on.”

“It was a tough night all the way around, both ends of the floor,” Brooks said. “Give them credit. They played at a high level. They were defending. They were passing. They were making shots. We got to get better. We got to regroup; bounce back. This is definitely not a night to remember, but it’s a night that we have to get better from.”

The Thunder’s typically well-tuned offense, which had scored at least 100 points in 23 of the previous 24 games, was nowhere to be found this time. (Russell) Westbrook and (Enis) Kanter scored 16 points apiece, and Dion Waiters was the only other Thunder player in double figures with 14 points. OKC shot 40 percent from the field. […] “They just played harder than us,” Westbrook said. “We just wasn’t ready to play. Simple as that.”

Dallas holds a 2-1 lead in the regular season series against the Spurs, and both teams are in a virtual tie with another matchup looming back in San Antonio on Friday.

Per the Dallas Morning News:

The Spurs had won 10 of their last 12 and were beginning to look like a team capable of defending their title. […] The Mavericks crushed the Spurs in the second half with a relentless offensive rush that featured hot shooting from Monta Ellis and a strong double-double by Dirk Nowitzki.

“Too much Monta tonight, isn’t it?” Carlisle said. “I love the way he played. I love the way the whole team played.” […] Ellis tied his season high with 38 points on 16-of-27 shooting. It would be oversimplifying things to say that as Ellis goes, the Mavericks go. But in their last five losses, he’s 20 for 93 (21.5 percent) from the field.

“I’ve been battling a lot of injuries all season,” Ellis said. “The last few days, my body has been feeling good. I wanted to come in and give my team a lift that they’ve been looking for. Now that my body is feeling good, we’ll try to make a run.” […] It’s rare for Ellis to admit that he’s been fighting injuries, but ever since a hip problem that started before the All-Star break, he hasn’t been the same player.

Belinelli said it was “a really bad foul”, and knew the hit was coming but didn’t expect a body-check on his three-point attempt.

The San Antonio Spurs won easily 114-103.

Per the Express-News:

“That was a really bad foul,” Belinelli said. “This was my first time that I get fouled like that. I know competition is part of the game, but that was really bad.”

“I knew it was coming, yes,” Belinelli said. “That’s why I took the 3. I think before, when I cut (off the ball) like I do always, he said I tried to break his elbow or something like that. I don’t know. That was a really bad foul.”

The foul cost Milwaukee dearly. Belinelli made all three shots to restore the Spurs’ lead to 13, and it never dipped into single-digits again as they cruised 114-103. […] Bayless described the situation as a “misunderstanding” and left before taking further questions.

The big fella played for four teams during a 9-year career, and was part of the 72-win world champion 1995-’96 Chicago Bulls.

Haley is survived by his sons Jack Jr. and Jeff, his mother Jeanette, brother Tim, sister Sondra and ex-wife Stacey.

Per the OC Register:

Surfing was in Jack Haley’s blood, not basketball. […] The son of an Orange County surfing icon spent nearly a decade in the NBA and was part of one of its greatest all-time teams, but the longtime Seal Beach resident did not even take up basketball until his second year at Golden West College.

“It is with great sadness that the Haley family announces the passing of our beloved father, son and brother,” Haley’s family said in the statement released by the Lakers. “Jack was honored and grateful for the opportunity to play in the NBA for nine years, alongside world-class athletes with the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and New Jersey Nets.”

“He had a great story,” said Mater Dei girls basketball coach Kevin Kiernan, who knew Haley because he coached with him at a local camp and had heard Haley was in poor health. “He didn’t start playing basketball till he was a bit older, walked on at UCLA and then played in the NBA. […] He was proof that if you work hard, anything can happen. It’s just unfortunate. He was too young.”

In a game that defied logic, the Knicks — they of the .197 winning percentage at the start of the game — shocked the world champions — they of the .631 winning percentage — by rallying from a 13-point deficit for a 104-100 how’d-they-do-that victory in overtime Tuesday at the Garden.

Tim Duncan, who had missed 1-of-2 free throws in a failed attempt to tie the game with nine seconds left in OT, threw a pass that was slapped away by Alexey Shved with 3.9 ticks left after the Knicks had added one free throw. Shved then converted two free throws at the 3.2-second mark to push the Knicks up by four and essentially ice the most improbable victory of the season.

“They have this inside of them,” said Knicks coach Derek Fisher. “They are capable of doing this on more nights than we have. It symbolizes that we are growing. I don’t know if we would have been capable of doing this a few weeks ago or a month ago.”

Ginobili left the locker room after the game in crutches. But that appears to have been better than what the Spurs initially feared when Ginobili first went down, and was unable to put any weight on his right foot as Tim Duncan and trainer Will Sevening helped him off the court.

“Fortunately, I don’t think it’s as bad as they thought,” Duncan said. “Hopefully he can be back pretty quickly…because we need what he brings to the team.”

Ginobili had been weakened by a stomach virus for most of last week, but appeared to be close to full strength with 11 points and two assists before being hurt. He also had one of the game’s biggest highlights with his chase-down block of Minnesota’s Kevin Martin. […] This has been one of Ginobili’s most durable seasons in years, with just eight absences over the Spurs’ first 65 games.

So, um…that was nuts. And everyone had something to say about the amazing 128-125 Cavs’ overtime win against the Spurs, which featured a career-high/franchise-record/NBA-best this year 57 points from Kyrie Irving. Scroll through them player reactions up top, friends.

Duncan left with 56 seconds remaining in Tuesday’s 117-107 victory over Toronto after injuring his left elbow in a collision with teammate Tiago Splitter and Raptors forward Amir Johnson. He has been wearing a wrap on the elbow for much of this season.

“They told us right away it was nothing big,” said Tony Parker, who continued his strong play with 23 points and nine assists.

Said coach Gregg Popovich, “He hyperextended his elbow. I think he will be OK. I think, but I don’t know. We’ll see. I think he’s OK.” […] Duncan finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds. He has appeared in 58 of 63 games this season. All five of Duncan’s absences were for rest.

Spurs guard Tony Parker is slowly rounding into form and becoming healthy, scoring a season-high 32 points Sunday as he led San Antonio over the visiting Chicago Bulls 116-105.

Parker only committed a single turnover in the victory. He’s averaging 25 points in the past three games, and shot 13-of-19 and had two assists in 30 minutes against Chicago.

This was the Spurs’ fifth straight W.

Per the AP:

“Tony is playing at a high level again, that makes a big difference for them,” Chicago center Pau Gasol said. “It’s tough to beat them that way.”

Parker is returning to his All-Star form after being hindered much of the season by a strained hamstring that forced him to miss 13 games. He is again driving hard to the lane for his usual array of spins, layups, floaters and quick passes to teammates for corner 3-pointers. […] “I’m still dealing with some stuff, but I’m going to fight through it,” Parker said. “I’m tired of talking about it. I kept saying I’m going to fight through it and I would rather play than stay out.”

“He’s been in that mode for the last two or three games and feeling pretty confident about his health,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He was very explosive today and played a decent number of minutes, too. I think he’s where we would like him to be.”

“I’ve heard proposals about them moving The Finals past the Fourth of July,” commissioner Adam Silver said during the All-Star break, which has been fleshed out by several more days to give participating players a rest. “Generally the view has been in addition it just feels out of sync once you get into the summer historically those haven’t been viewed as the best television nights, once you get into July, and just in terms of households watching TV. [….] I will say maybe that’s something we should look at, too. If we’re truly going to take a fresh look at this, we have to examine what the appropriate time is to begin the season and when we should end it.”

San Antonio went 34-19 prior to the All-Star break, this despite the 32-year old Parker missing 14 games due to a bum left hamstring.

Per the Express-News:

“If he’s not the Tony Parker of past years,” Popovich said Wednesday, “we’re not going anywhere.”

The six-time All-Star is averaging 14.5 points and 4.7 assists, his lowest numbers since his rookie season. That’s a big reason the Spurs’ offense has slumped to 12th in the league, in terms of efficiency.

Is 29 games enough time for Parker to turn his season around? […] “I don’t know, but he’s serious about it and that’s good,” Popovich said. “He’s the main part of our game as far as pace and scoring. He makes a lot happen when he’s getting 18, 20, 26 points. There are not many nights when Timmy (Duncan) or Manu (Ginobili) or going to get 26 or 28, but the teams we are playing have a lot of those guys. Tony is our guy and we need that back.”

It was a variation on “The Hammer” one of Popovich’s pet plays out of timeouts, usually with Manu Ginobili making the pass into the corner. […] With (Kawhi) Leonard as the passer, perhaps it should be called “The Claw Hammer.”

“It was the definition of a pounding-the-rock win,” said (Tony) Parker, the point guard who scored 11 of his game-high 19 points in the first quarter. […] “It was a great win for us. When we were down 14 at the start of the fourth quarter, it didn’t look good. We stayed together, we put some stops together, even though we couldn’t hit a shot. We were 6 for 25 from threes, but we got a big shot from Marco at the end.”

After Hill’s 3-point attempt bounced off the rim, Spurs assistant Ettore Messina gave Popovich a quick handshake, the closest the Spurs got to an on-court celebration. […] “I don’t do too much celebrating,” Popovich said. “I’ve been here a long time, and I’ve got good players. Getting the players is difficult, but I’ve been fortunate to have good ones, and the time is the most important element. You’ve got to be around for a while. It’s more a tribute to them than any coaches.”

One thousand—1,000—yeah, that’s a pretty amazing number. Coach Gregg Popovich earned his 1,000th win last night as his San Antonio Spurs outdid the Pacers in Indianapolis. After leading by 2 points at halftime, the Spurs suffered through a #3rdQofDoom in which the Pacers outscored ‘em by 14 points. San Antonio woke up in the fourth, enough to score 30 and hold the opponents to 14. Midway through the final period, they cut Indiana’s lead in half. After tying the score a couple times with the help of free throws, Marco Belinelli hit a jumper to give the team from Texas a 2-point lead with 2.1 seconds on the clock. George Hill put up a contested 3-pointer at the other end to win the game, but he missed. The buzzer made it official.

Warriors 89 (41-9), Sixers 84 (12-41)

Despite all their starters scoring in double-figures and despite their four-game home winning streak, the Philadelphia 76ers lost the match-up they hosted last night against the NBA’s best, Golden State Warriors. They didn’t give up the win easily though, even without Michael Carter-Williams. The Sixers were up 4 at the end of the first quarter—you know, that quarter when KJ McDaniels did this:

By halftime, Philly was down only 2. But the third quarter saw 9 of their 27 turnovers. The Warriors opened the fourth quarter on a 16-2 run to take an 18-point lead, their largest of the game. The Sixers then scored another 12 to keep it close, but in the end, the Dubs came away with the dub for their best start through 50 games in franchise history.

Wizards 96 (33-20), Magic 80 (16-39)

The Wiz Kids know what they’re doing. In their home game against the Orlando Magic last night, they opened up the first quarter with 24 points, 18 of which came from the paint. They ended the half on a 6-0 run to take a nice 7-point lead at halftime, while also holding Orlando to just 27 percent from the field. John Wall ran the court with 9 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, and the high-scorer for Washington was Rasual Butler off the bench with 15 points. In the third, Wall sent this pass to Nene (14 points), who followed through perfectly:

Marcin Gortat added 14 points and 14 boards for the Wizards, and the team from DC finished strong for a back-to-back win.

Heat 109 (22-29), Knicks 95 (10-42)

The New York Knicks are dead last in the Eastern Conference and dead last in the NBA. When they visited the Heat in Miami last night, they snapped South Beach’s three-game losing streak. Miami overcame a 14-point New York lead to win the game, its largest comeback victory this season.

Believe it or not, things looked up for the Knicks in the first quarter. Carmelo Anthony scored 14 of his 26 points, and New York went on a 20-4 run. But eventually the powers shifted, as they so often do. Miami went on a 13-3 run early in the third and outscored New York 25-18 in the period. Melo had to return to the locker room in the fourth when his knee bugged him, and Chris Bosh (32 points and 6 assists) and Miami subsequently took care of the win.

Bucks 103 (29-23), Nets 97 (21-30)

Another #3rdQofDoom…the victims this time? The Brooklyn Nets. After scoring 30 points in the first quarter on 70 percent shooting and going on an 11-0 run in the second quarter, the Nets’ 17-point lead was reduced to 5 by the end of the first half. In the third quarter, the hometown Milwaukee Bucks outscored the Nets 32-16 led by Khris Middleton who scored 12 of his 18 points in the period (he had 4 steals too). Jared Dudley added 19 points and 3 steals to help lift the Bucks to their seventh win in eight games.

Hawks 117 (43-10), Timberwolves 105 (11-41)

The best in the East took on the worst in the West yesterday in Minneapolis, and the best finished on top as expected. DeMarre Carroll had a large part to play in the Atlanta Hawks’ road win last night, as he scored a career-high 26 points. Al Horford added a season-high 28 to go along with 8 boards, and Paul Millsap contributed 19 points, 9 boards, and 7 assists in the win. The Hawks had 21 points from fast breaks compared to the Timberwolves’ 9, and they had 14 more points in the paint. In the third, Atlanta went on a 13-3 run to outscore the Wolves by 10, and they kept the momentum up in the fourth to walk out of the Target Center with a W.

Jazz 100 (19-33), Pelicans 96 (27-25)

The guys with Gordon in their names played pretty well yesterday, but only one’s team could come out with the victory. The winning Gordon was Gordon Hayward and his Utah Jazz. Hayward scored 32 points (14 in the third) to go along with his 7 boards, 8 assists, and 2 steals as the Jazz gave the Anthony Davis-less Pelicans their second loss in a row. After a close first quarter, the Pelicans outscored the Jazz 27-15 in the second period. Then in the third, the Jazz outscored Eric Gordon (season-high 31 points) and the Pels 29-15 thanks to a nifty 21-3 run. Derrick Favors added 18 points and 7 boards, and Enes Kanter provided a 14-point, 11-board double-double for Utah in the win.

Clippers 115 (34-19), Mavericks 98 (35-19)

The Dallas Mavericks had a rough first few minutes of last night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Both Tyson Chandler and Monta Ellis left the game and did not return with injuries. Without their leading rebounder and leading scorer, the night promised to be tough. The Clippers were shorthanded too, without Blake Griffin. But in his absence, DeAndre Jordan took on more of a scoring role. He had 22 points, but his dominance on the rebounding end did not diminish by any means. Jordan grabbed a career-high 27 boards last night, and Chris Paul contributed 25 points and 13 assists as the Clips rolled to a 115-98 win over the Mavs despite a valiant effort from Charlie Villanueva (season-high 26 points).

Thunder 124 (27-25), Nuggets 114 (19-33)

The OKC Thunder didn’t wait to get the ball rolling last night. After scoring 38 points in the first quarter, they were up by 20 over the hometown Denver Nuggets. They continued the charge in the second period especially with Durant (24 in the first half) catching fire. Despite a 41-point quarter from the Nugs, OKC went into the locker room at halftime up by 14. The Thunder never relinquished their early advantage to Denver, and as such walked away with an important win for the Western Conference standings.

Allen, 39, still has not decided whether he wants to return for a 19th season but has been keeping in shape and doing on-court work to keep his options open. Additionally, Allen has been in contact with teams to explore his possibilities and may take meetings during the upcoming All-Star break.

Numerous teams have been staying in touch with Allen in hopes of signing him, including the Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers and, recently, the Atlanta Hawks.

Allen’s potential role with a team is expected to be a deciding factor. He shot 39 percent from 3-point range and averaged 9.3 points while playing 26.4 minutes a game in 20 playoff games last season for the Heat after shooting 38 percent from 3 during the regular season.

After falling to Detroit twice earlier in the season, the Pacers — who rocked their throwback Flo-Jo uniforms — edged the Pistons on Wednesday night. George Hill returned to Indiana’s starting five and dropped 20 points and six dimes.

The Pacers trailed 49-48 at halftime and went on a huge run in the third quarter. Detroit made it close again in the fourth quarter but couldn’t earn the road win. Roy Hibbert (16 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks), CJ Miles (15 points, 3 steals) and David West (14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) were crucial. Motor City’s frontcourt played well in the loss — a common theme for the Pistons this season — as Greg Monroe went for 16 points, 9 boards and 3 steals and Andre Drummond finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds.

Hawks (41-9) 105, Wizards (31-19) 96

Atlanta entered Wednesday night’s game looking to bounce back (sounds weird, doesn’t it?) after losing its first game since December.

The Hawks didn’t have to wait long to get back to their winning ways. They cruised to victory and handed Washington its fourth straight loss in the process. Just prior to tip-off, the ENTIRE HAWKS STARTING FIVE were named Eastern Conference players of the month. In case you’re wondering if teammates have ever shared the award in the past, the answer is yes; see below:

December 2001: Paul Pierce & Antoine Walker

November 2002: Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash & Michael Finley

December 2010: LeBron James & Dwyane Wade

Back to the game. The first quarter was neck-and-neck, but Atlanta led 59-46 at the half and controlled it the rest of the way. Jeff Teague dropped 17 of his 26 points in the first two quarters; he also finished with 8 assists. Al Horford (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Paul Millsap (11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) were instrumental for the East’s best team, per usual. The Hawks shot 11-25 from beyond the arc, while the Wizards shot just 4-16. John Wall was tough to contain as he flirted with a triple double with 24 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds. Bradley Beal posted 23 points but got absolutely obliterated by Mike Scott:

Celtics (18-30) 104, Nuggets (19-31) 100

Boston hit its free throws down the stretch to hand the Nuggets their fourth straight loss. Several Super Bowl champs, including Malcolm Butler, were there to witness the home team’s balanced scoring effort; five Celtics scored 14 or more points.

Boston led 57-47 at halftime. The Nuggets went on a 14-4 run to tie it up in the fourth quarter, but the Celtics didn’t back down. Marcus Thornton led the way offensively with 17 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Avery Bradley had 17 points, and Jae Crowder contributed with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Jared Sullinger sat out the first quarter due to tardiness, but the third-year power forward still managed to play an important role with 14 points and 7 boards. Ty Lawson (23 points, 8 assists, 2 steals) was largely responsible for Denver’s comeback, controlling the tempo and finding teammates for easy buckets. Kenneth Faried (17 points, 11 rebounds), Jusuf Nurkic (14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Arron Afflalo (18 points, 2 steals) were other bright spots for the losing squad.

Nets (20-28) 109, Raptors (33-17) 93

Jarrett Jack shot 9-13 from the field for 26 points as Brooklyn routed the Raptors at Air Canada Centre, one of the rowdiest road environments in the L. Alan Anderson added 25 for the Nets, who have now strung together back-to-back wins. Kyle Lowry put up 13/6/4 in the first half; Toronto led 51-49 at the break. However, Lowry failed to score again and finished with 13/10/6. Terrence Ross scored 23.

To add insult to injury, this Cory Jefferson dunk happened:

Rockets (34-15) 101, Bulls (30-20) 90

What’s up with Chicago?

The Bulls have now lost three straight. Granted, last night’s loss came against a terrific Rockets team. James Harden (27 points), Trevor Ariza (20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) and Donatas Motiejunas (15 points, 10 rebounds) all did their thing. Houston outscored 50-28 in the paint despite the absence of Dwight Howard, who missed his fifth straight game with a knee injury. Joakim Noah went 0-8 from the field for just 1 point (!) but pulled down 19 rebounds. Pau Gasol provided 16 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks, Taj Gibson posted 12 points and 10 boards and Derrick Rose dropped 23. So, what’s wrong with the Bulls? Is it fatigue? Simple lack of effort on defense? Is the injured Mike Dunleavy low-key super important to the team’s success when he’s healthy? Tough to say.

Harden gave Jimmy Buckets the business last night:

Bucks (27-22) 113, Lakers (13-36) 105

OJ Mayo scored 21 points off the bench including five three-pointers. Most importantly, Mayo — with two Lakers draped all over him — drained a shot from the corner with 0.5 seconds to send the game to overtime. The Bucks executed in the extra period to earn their 27th win of the season.

The Greek Freak dropped a career-high 25 points. Antetokounmpo also grabbed 6 boards and swatted 2 shots. Brandon Knight nearly triple doubled with 24 points, 8 dimes and 7 rebounds. Khris Middleton is in the midst of his best stretch of the season; the third-year shooting guard out of Texas A&M posted 21 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists against LA.

Timberwolves (9-40) 102, Heat (21-28) 101

It’s pretty nice to see Ricky Rubio back in action, huh?

The fourth-year PG (8 points, 9 assists, 2 steals) returned to his home floor and dished no-look passes with steez to catapult the T-Wolves over the Heat. Kevin Martin (30 points, 2 steals, 4 three-balls), Thaddeus Young (16 points, 5 steals) and Gorgui Dieng (13 points, 9 rebounds) all contributed in the upset. Minnesota shot 51 percent as a team to win despite being out-rebounded 47-32.

Hassan Whiteside is playing like a man possessed. He hit his first 11 shots en route to 24 points, 20 rebounds (9 offensive), 3 steals and 2 blocks. However, Whiteside’s team couldn’t beat lowly Minnesota; Norris Cole missed a three-pointer in the final seconds.

Check out the maestro at work below:

Thunder (25-24) 102, Pelicans (26-23) 91

When you’re without the reigning league MVP due to injury, it helps to have Russell Westbrook on your team.

Russ was in full roadrunner mode in New Orleans on Wednesday night, beep-beeping his way past defenders en route to 45 points (career-high 19 in the first quarter), 6 boards and 6 assists. Westbrook’s speed was simply too much for the Pelicans’ backcourt. Serge Ibaka was no slouch, either; he scored 13 points, snatched 6 boards and racked up an impressive 6 blocks. No surprise: Anthony Davis (23 points, 8 rebounds) and Ryan Anderson (19 points, 2 steals) got theirs. But NOLA couldn’t stop OKC’s All-Star point guard. The Pels are sure to be kicking themselves for not taking advantage of Durant’s absence — these are the types of games they need to win if they want to secure a playoff spot. If the season ended today, New Orleans would narrowly miss the post-season; they’re currently in ninth place in the West.

Spurs (31-18) 110, Magic (15-37) 103

Tim Duncan is like a fine wine. The Big Fundamental posted 26 points and 10 rebounds as the defending champs defeated Orlando at home. The Magic have now lost 10 straight games. Kawhi Leonard did a little bit of everything with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals and Manu Ginobili double-doubled with 13 points and 10 dimes. Orlando trailed by two with 38 seconds left in regulation, but Tony Parker hit a three to put the game out of reach. Nikola Vucevic is a cyborg — dude had 25 points and 13 rebounds and is having a ridiculous season stat-wise. Tobias Harris approached a triple-double with 23 points, 10 boards and 6 assists. Same with Elfrid Payton; the rookie dropped 14/9/6 in the loss.

Grizzlies (37-12) 100, Jazz (17-32) 90

Atlanta’s streak is over, so naturally, it’s time for basketball fans to direct their attention to whoever’s next. The Cavaliers currently hold an eleven-game win streak, but Memphis is in the midst of a nice little run of its own at eight straight.

As usual, the Grizzlies relied on their stalwart frontcourt duo of Marc Gasol (23 points, 6 rebounds) and Zach Randolph (18 points, 11 rebounds). Mike Conley got to the cup as well, scoring 17 in the win. Enes Kanter dropped 16/10 and Trey Burke hit 7-13 shots for 21 points in his new role off the bench.

Warriors (38-8) 128, Mavericks (33-17) 114

Dallas jumped out to an early 22-point lead against the Warriors at Oracle Arena.

The Mavs had no idea what Steph Curry had in store for them in the second half. The baby-faced assassin went absolutely bonkers in the third quarter; he dropped 26 points in the period including six shots from beyond the arc. Curry shot 16-26 from the field and 10-16 three-pointers for the entire game — I can’t think of a single player who could’ve guarded him last night — for a career-high 51 points. If he had any kind of opening, he let it fly, and it was usually the correct decision. Steph was one three-ball away from matching his career-high 54-point performance at MSG in 2013. Oh yeah, I almost forgot — there were other players in this game. Klay Thompson (who’s probably thinking, “26 in a quarter? That’s cool, but it’s not 37!”) had 18 and Marreese Speights posted 14 and 6. Chandler Parsons put up 24 points on 9-18 shooting and Tyson Chandler had a night with 21 and 17. The commish Adam Silver was on hand to witness Curry’s 51-point explosion. The MVP candidate became the second player in NBA history with multiple games of at least 10 three-pointers. The other player? JR Smith.

The visitor’s locker room at Staples Center is a hive of inactivity. It is nearly motionless and pin-drop quiet. Eight Spurs sit silently at their lockers and scarcely interact with one another. A muted TV is in the middle of the floor playing the previous night’s Clippers game. Manu Ginobili stretches on the floor watching the TV intently. Tim Duncan stares directly at the floor as if the carpet holds some key to life. Boris Diaw leans back in his locker with his eyes closed. No one speaks.

There is a palpable been-there, done-that, no-nonsense approach to these Spurs. A tiny little window into who they are. It’s as impressive as their ball movement or commitment to selflessness or mind-numbing longevity.

In the center of this safe place sits 23-year-old Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs do-everything, franchise cornerstone-in-waiting. For him there is no sweeter sound than the silence that envelops him.

Leonard gravitates to the absence of sound. If he doesn’t have to speak, he usually won’t. And when he does it’s only when he’s asked a question. He likes to sleep on team flights and isn’t overly interested in music or nightlife. Ask him about his favorite anything and get used to long pauses. Teammates tease him about his monkish behavior, which more often than not draws a sheepish grin. But the flip side of that lack of flair is a singular focus that’s made him one of the League’s most intriguing young players.

“All he does is think about basketball,” says Tony Parker. “Nothing else seems to interest him.”

Last season the 6-7 fourth-year small forward broke out in the loudest of ways as his career trajectory underwent a seismic upward shift when he averaged 15.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals while becoming the second youngest player to win Finals MVP as the Spurs captured their fifth title. Though the Spurs declined to grant him a long-term extension on October 31 (for legit cap reasons), it is widely assumed the franchise will revolve around Leonard for years to come. Besides, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich recently proclaimed Leonard “The Big One,” hinting that it was time for San Antonio’s decorated vets to pass the torch.

“I think he can be an MVP candidate,” says Duncan. “The sky is the limit for him and if he continues on that path I don’t see any doubt why he couldn’t be.”

A large gray door near the locker room exit with the words ‘Team Chapel’ on it swings open. The quietude of the room is finally broken when Pop emerges and asks for time. They are the first words spoken in the Spurs locker room in nearly 11 minutes.

This is just a snapshot of the highly organized, hyper-efficient world that has been Leonard’s Fortress of Solitude.

It is the perfect place for the sullen wunderkind to evolve and grow into the face of this storied franchise. Even if he never says much.

But Leonard has always been shy and withdrawn. Growing up the only thing he did less than talk was show emotion, but one day during the spring of his senior year in high school all that changed. It would play no small part in shaping the man he has become.

***

Kawhi Leonard collapsed to the floor sobbing. His Riverside (CA) Martin Luther King team had just beat Compton (CA) Dominguez at Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA. In the concrete hallway Leonard’s mother rushed to comfort her son. He had nothing left save for exasperation and heartache. The stunning victory had little to do with his uncharacteristic outpouring.

Less than 24 hours earlier, his father had been murdered.

Forty-three-year-old Mark Leonard owned a popular hand car wash in Compton and on countless summer days he would bring his young son along to work to impress upon him the importance of an honest day’s work. Kawhi would hand wash and detail dozens of cars a day. As his long fingers wilted from the soapy water he saw how customers respected his father and the good will he built up in the neighborhood.

“I’d be there for 10 hours on some days,” he said. “Just all day washing cars and being with my dad and getting closer.”

The father helped the boy develop his game in both football and basketball. They would lift weights, play catch, do sprints and run hills near his mother Kim Robertson’s home in Riverside. He attended nearly all of his son’s games.

But on January 18, 2008, during Leonard’s senior year, the elder Leonard was closing up the car wash near the intersection of Arbutus and Wilmington for the night when several men approached him. After an argument one pointed a gun directly at him. Nearly 30 shots rang out. Ten hit Mark, killing him instantly. Kawhi’s sister called with the news as he was heading home after a game. He had spoken to his father just hours before. The next night, the crestfallen Leonard decided to play.

“Basketball is my life, and I wanted to go out there and take my mind off it,” Leonard told the Los Angeles Times later that year. “It was real sad. My father was supposed to be at the game.”

In the months after, Leonard began to come to terms with the tragedy, harboring no ill will for the person who took his father’s life. He guided King to a 30-3 record averaging 22.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3 blocks a game on the way to being named California’s Mr. Basketball.

After receiving offers from UCLA, USC and Michigan, Leonard chose San Diego State, thinking he would have a better opportunity to play. He led the Aztecs in scoring and rebounding in his freshman year, earning a rep as a flypaper defender with a high basketball IQ and a relentless motor.

During his sophomore campaign, behind a team-leading 15.5 points and 10.6 rebounds, Leonard drove San Diego State to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to eventual champion Connecticut. Soon NBA general managers were buzzing over the rather unheralded prospect with long arms and a quiet demeanor. When Leonard began hearing a flood of reports that he was a first-round lock he declared himself eligible for the Draft.

Once in San Antonio, Leonard settled into life with the Spurs rather easily after the team made him the 15th pick in the 2011 Draft. From the start, Popovich’s plan to bring him along slowly suited Leonard well. There was an invaluable support system in place that covered Leonard’s needs from basketball instruction (assistants Chip Engelland and Chad Forcier were available on off days) to mentorship (Duncan asked for the role).

In his first three seasons Leonard was the beneficiary of hyper-defensive focus on Parker and Ginobili. He’d wait on the wings for Parker’s kick outs and gladly accept Duncan’s sweet drop offs when he cut to the rim. But Leonard earned his keep primarily on the defensive side of the ball. Pop routinely assigned him to guard the opposing team’s best player.

The Hall of Fame coach was most impressed by Leonard’s shrewd understanding of defensive nuance. “He knows tendencies of his opponents,” Popovich says. “He doesn’t bail guys out who take bad shots, is always in the right position and uses his length really well defensively.”

Much has been made of Kawhi’s enormous hands, which were a crazy 19 percent wider than the typical prospect at the pre-Draft combine. But those mitts would be far less useful if it wasn’t for his exceptional reflexes, length and anticipation.

In the closing moments of the Spurs’ November 10 victory against the Clippers, appearing to be more than an arm’s length away from ballhandling wizard Jamal Crawford, Leonard reached out and simply snatched the ball from the bewildered guard like a frog snatching a fly out of the air.

“We want him to be a Bruce Bowen-type player,” Pop continues, “but obviously he’ll surpass what Bruce was able to do for us.”

Five nights later against the Lakers, Jeremy Lin attempted to bring the ball up the floor on the right wing. Leonard approached him just above the three-point elbow and plucked him clean racing the other way for the uncontested dunk. On the following possession, Lin again brought the ball up and Leonard stripped him in the same exact spot.

“When young kids like him do well usually the defense is overlooked,” Popovich adds. “But he’s as good defensively as he is offensively. That’s what makes me believe he’s going to be a special player as he proceeds.”

During the 2014 Finals, Leonard blossomed in nearly every phase of the game. He harassed Dwyane Wade into sloppy, turnover-ridden performances. He blocked Heat bigs’ shots from the help side. His 7-foot wingspan nearly erased passing lanes. LeBron James was caught shaking his head at one point when he saw Leonard checking back into a game. Over the last three games of the Finals, he averaged 23.7 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 2 bpg on nearly 69-percent shooting. Kawhi Leonard had arrived.

But the stellar play and waterfall of accolades that followed could hardly budge Leonard from the safety of near solitude in which he clings to like a life preserver in a storm. After the Finals Leonard went on a mini-publicity tour, which included appearances on LIVE With Kelly and Michael and a chat with MTV star Rob Dyrdek. The only subject discussed was basketball.

Leonard’s one-on-one interviews and public appearances are few and far between. A Spurs media relations staffer warns that Leonard just doesn’t care about media attention.

He was one of the last NBA players to join Twitter, the chattiest of all social media platforms, and for a brief moment there was a glimmer of hope that Leonard was coming out of his shell. Well, six months and 11 tweets later, it has only served to reinforce one immutable truth any Spur will be glad to tell you: “Kawhi is Kawhi.”

***

After that November game against the Clippers the locker room hummed in stark contrast to the pregame monastery-like hush a few hours earlier. A crush of media surrounded Leonard, wanting to know how he felt about his latest exploits. He had just scored 28 points (adding 10 rebounds and 3 steals) while frustrating the Clippers’ starting backcourt into a 7-23 shooting nightmare. Leonard’s game-winning steal and intelligent play were heavily buzzed about.

As is his way, Leonard spoke sparingly but earnestly. He was half dressed in jeans, an undershirt and bare feet. His hands were in his pockets and his broad, muscular shoulders were a bit slumped, making him look a tad shorter than his 6-7 frame actually is.

He deflected any praise and credited his teammates for putting him in the right spots. “I just want to play,” Leonard said. “I love everything about basketball and I just want to win.”

For anyone else it would be cliché. For Leonard the sincerity rang true. It’s all he’s ever wanted.

The Oklahoma City Thunder climbed over the .500 hump after beating the Heat in Miami last night. It’s official now. OKC has a winning record.

Russell Westbrook scored 19 points, grabbed 10 boards, dished out 6 assists, and snagged 4 steals. Kevin Durant also scored 19 to go along with 8 assists and 8 rebounds in the road win, all while taking good care of the ball. He didn’t commit a single turnover. But he did do this:

Miami had Dwyane Wade available again, and he scored 18 points and passed out 6 assists. Chris Bosh added 16 points and 7 rebounds. But 21 turnovers hurt the Heat plenty, as they couldn’t close out on their home floor.

Spurs 109 (27-16), Nuggets 99 (18-24)

In the second game of Tuesday night’s double header, the defending champion San Antonio Spurs are back to doing what they do best—win. With their victory over the hometown Denver Nuggets, the Spurs extended their winning streak to four and did the exact opposite for their opponents, who are losers of four straight.

Six Spurs were in double-figs yesterday, including Timmy Duncan (16 points) and Tony Parker (18 points and 7 assists). The reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard scored 17 points and brought down 15 boards for the strong double-double in the win.

The Nuggets had a double-double man of their own. Kenneth Faried scored 26 and grabbed 14 boards in the loss. Two of those 26 came from this vicious dunk:

Despite Faried’s powerful performance and a 12-point third quarter from Arron Afflalo (21 points), the Spurs pulled away in the final period to claim the win for themselves.

Leonard has missed the last fifteen games due to an injured right hand.

The reigning NBA Finals MVP is San Antonio’s leading scorer at 15.2 points a night, while also grabbing 7.6 rebounds.

Per the AP:

Kawhi Leonard says he is “ready to go” for the Spurs on Friday night against the Trail Blazers after missing 15 games because of an injured right hand.

Leonard initially injured his right hand Dec. 9 against Utah, tearing a ligament while trying to brace his fall on a failed dunk attempt against the Jazz. He returned after sitting out two games, but damaged the ligament more against Portland on Dec. 15 in his second game back when a defender slapped his right hand.

Off an uncharacteristic turnover late in the fourth quarter by the San Antonio Spurs, Brandon Jennings raced up the court for a last-second runner, giving the Detroit Pistons a thrilling 105-104 road win Tuesday night.

Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy hilariously instructed his team to form a “f*cking wall” in order to secure the victory:

With only one-tenth of a second left the Spurs (22-14) were unable to get a shot off and the Pistons – who suffered through a 13-game losing streak earlier this season – had their longest winning streak since the 2008-09 season.

“It feels good,” Jennings said in the jubilant – yet measured – locker room afterward. “I’ve never been on a six-game winning streak in my career, so this is something new, but we’re still taking it one game at a time.”

San Antonio used a 20-second time-out to in-bound at half-court, but the veteran Spurs mishandled the ball and somehow it found its way to Andre Drummond. […] “When I saw them lose the ball, I ran towards it, but at the same time I was like, ‘Is that the ball, for real?’ I ran after it and gave it to (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) and he made a great pass to Brandon and Brandon made a great decision at the end of the game – instead of shooting the pull-up, he went to the basket to get a chance to make the basket or get fouled. It really worked out in our favor.”

But it’s a new year, and the Suns were not about to let the game go down like that again. Markieff Morris made sure of it with his 26-point, 10-rebound double-double. Eric Bledsoe added his own double-double with 10 points and 10 assists to secure a road win for Phoenix over the hometown Bucks. Despite falling behind by 10 points in the second quarter, the Suns continued to push in the second half. After finishing the third quarter in a 28-28 split, the Suns outscored the Bucks 31-24 in the fourth to finish them off.

Brandon Knight was the high scorer for Milwaukee with 26 points and 4 assists, and Giannis Antetokounmpo added a 16-point, 12-board double-double. While that wasn’t enough to hold off the vengeful Suns, you can still see them both in this cool play:

Pistons 105 (11-23), Spurs 104 (21-15)

Motor City is kind of on a run. Last night on the home floor of the defending NBA Champions, the Detroit Pistons overcame an 18-point deficit to win their sixth game in a row.

Brandon Jennings’ (13 points and 7 assists) last-second heroics can be credited for the final two points that put the Pistons on top. With 7.9 seconds remaining in the game and down a single point, the Spurs had to throw the ball inbounds. But it ended up being a turnover and Drummond added a steal to his stat line, and Jennings banked it in at the buzzer:

Five additional Pistons scored points in double-figs last night against San Antonio. Two had double-doubles—Greg Monroe (17 points and 11 rebounds) and Andre Drummond (20 points and 17 boards):

The Spurs had seven players in double-figures, led by Jeff Ayres with 16, but that 17th turnover on the inbounds pass in the final seconds was what buried them.

LeBron struggled for Cleveland. He hit just 5/19 shots and committed 7 turnovers, though he did finish with 17, 10 and 7. Matthew Dellavedova got nothing going in a spot-start at PG, as he hit just 1/5 shots. On the bright side, Kevin Love dropped 20 and 10.

Spurs (19-13) 110, Rockets (21-8) 106

San Antonio led by double-figures with just a few minutes left last night, and a furious late rally by Houston fell a little short in the end.

Danny Green led the team with 24 points, including four clutch free throws in the closing minute. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Cory Joseph each scored 14 or more.

OKC held a 98-96 edge with 5 minutes to play last night before Dirk Nowitzki caught fire and put the game away for Dallas. He scored 10 points in that span, and finished with 30 in the comeback win.

Chandler Parsons was big, too, hitting 5/9 threes on his way to 26 points. Monta Ellis chipped in 18, and Rajon Rondo scored 15 while handing out 7 assists.

Russell Westbrook wasn’t at his best. He connected on 6/23 shots with 5 turnovers and 5 fouls in 36 minutes. He still managed 18 points, 9 boards, 9 assists and 5 steals. Serge Ibaka double-doubled with 26 and 10, and Reggie Jackson added 21 off the bench.

Blazers (25-7) 101, Knicks (5-28) 79

Portland grabbed an early lead last night and easily blew past the Knicks from there.

Wesley Matthews was hot, hitting 10/21 shots (6/11 threes) on his way to a game-high 28. Four others were in double-figures, and in all 11 Blazers scored.

The big story for the Knicks was Carmelo Anthony checking out after 19 minutes with a sore knee and never returning. As a 30-year-old in the first season of a five-year deal on a 5-28 team, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Melo get shut down for a while. But…

Anthony still plans to play on New Year’s Eve vs. Clippers. Says three days rest usually gets him back to feeling decent.

Luck has not been on the Suns’ side during their recent six-game losing streak. However, they were able to find their touch Wednesday night as they broke that streak and handed the Hornets their 19th loss of the season. The four-headed guard scoring machine of Eric Bledsoe (15 points), Goran Dragic (20 points, 8 assists), Isaiah Thomas (23 points, 3-8 on 3-pointers) and Gerald Green (16 points, 5 rebounds) came through for Phoenix as Thomas reached the 20-point plateau for the second straight game. They needed all their scoring since Markieff Morris (13 points, 8 rebounds) was ejected in the third quarter for arguing. Charlotte actually led 50-33 with 7:01 left in the second quarter. Gary Neal (13 points) had a quick eight points to start the second quarter while Al Jefferson (28 points, 10 rebounds) and Kemba Walker (27 points, 7 assists) had solid starts to their night. Just as has hurt the Hornets all season long, though, this game was decided down the stretch. The Suns ended this game outscoring the Hornets 10-2 in the final two minutes and thirty seconds. Phoenix got the stops they needed while Charlotte’s defense couldn’t hold its ground.

Hawks 127 (18-7), Cavaliers 98 (14-10)

These Hawks are a legitimate contender in the East. They have won 11 of their last 12, only lost two home games and sit 1.5 games out of first place in their conference. Wednesday night, they handed the Cavs their worst loss of the season thanks to reserve Shelvin Mack (career-high 24 points, 22 minutes) going berserk and becoming unconscious from deep. The game’s deciding factor had to be 3-point shooting. The Cavs shot 8-30 (26.7 percent) on threes while the Hawks shot a ridiculous 16-28 (57.1 percent) from behind the 3-point line. Mack led the way in this statistic, making all six of his attempts from deep. Swingmen DeMarre Carroll (13 points, 3-6 on 3-pointers) and Mike Scott (15 points, 2-3 in 3-pointers) got in on the action as well. Oh yeah—and the Hawks did all this without starting point guard Jeff Teague (hamstring). Dennis Schroder (10 points, 10 assists, 1 turnover) did a very good job in his absence, picking up a double-double. Dion Waiters (21 points) reached the 20-point plateau while LeBron James (21 points) reached it as well without even playing in the fourth quarter when the game had been all but decided. After trailing 50-38 midway through the second quarter, the Hawks blitzed past the Cavaliers, outscoring them 89-48 the rest of the way. Atlanta ended the game shooting 64.5 percent from the field. Pay attention to Al Horford (20 points, 10-14 from the field) and the Hawks, folks, they might have something special brewing in Georgia.

Celtics 109 (9-14), Magic 92 (10-18)

The Celtics outscored the Magic in all four quarters Wednesday night, clamped down defensively in the second half and couldn’t seem to miss a shot in the closing quarter. Rajon Rondo (13 points, 15 assists, 7 rebounds) remained the quarterback for this Boston offense, despite the sudden swirling trade rumors. No one in the NBA has more games this season with at least 15 assists than Rondo. He received plenty of help from his teammates, especially Brandon Bass (18 points, 6-10 from the field, 6-6 on free throws). The Magic had four starters and one bench player in double digit scoring but Nikola Vucevic (18 points, 13 rebounds) and Tobias Harris (17 points, 3 steals) let this one get away in the final quarter in which the Celtics outscored their team 31-19. Boston shot a blistering 13-19 (68.4 percent) in the final 12 minutes. Right after they seemingly made a push for the eight seed in the East, the Magic have now lost four of their past five.

Mavericks 117 (19-8), Pistons 106 (5-21)

Chandler Parsons (season-high 32 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) has had plenty of ups and downs since his transition from Houston to Dallas. His energy hasn’t always been there while his shot has been anything but consistent. Wednesday night against the Pistons, though, showed the Parsons the Mavs hope to see more of. He scored a season-high in points, pouring in 15 of them in the third quarter. He had plenty of help from Tyson Chandler (16 points, 9 rebounds) Monta Ellis (25 points, 8 assists), who continues to find his way into the lane. And then when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter, Dallas went to a source of offense they knew they could count on in Dirk Nowitzki (18 points, 10 rebounds). After D.J. Augustin (10 points) nailed a 3-pointer to make Detroit’s deficit only 101-95 with 3:35 to go, the Big German scored seven of Dallas’ next 10 points, capped off by a beautiful rainbow 3-pointer. The Pistons wouldn’t be able to recover. Even though the Pistons still can’t seem to find their winning ways, Andre Drummond (19 points, 24 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4 steals) has started to turn his season around and look like the player so many NBA junkies were excited to see this season.

Jazz 105 (7-19), Heat 87 (12-14)

Dwyane Wade (42 points, 12-19 from the field, 16-21 on free throws) had one of his best games since before LeBron James came to town back in 2010. The shooting guard shot efficiently from all over the field while forcing his way to the free throw line time and time again. Unfortunately for Wade, he had absolutely no help from his teammates. Mario Chalmers (11 points, 3-13 from the field) was the only other Heat player in double figures, and the former Kansas point guard needed 13 shots to reach 11 points. Behind strong play from the starting lineup, especially Gordon Hayward (29 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds), the Jazz built a 33-16 lead after the first 12 minutes and lever gave up the lead the rest of the way. Without Chris Bosh (calf), the Heat just don’t have enough legitimate offensive options.

Raptors 105 (20-6), Nets 89 (10-14)

The Nets never stood a chance against the best team in the East and the opponent they took down in last year’s playoffs. (And in heartbreak fashion at that.) Wednesday’s game, though, got off to a great start for the visiting Nets on Drake Night, as Mirza Teletovic (14 points, 4-8 on 3-pointers) and Joe Johnson (17 points, 8 rebounds) scored 14 of the team’s first 30 points and helped Brooklyn build an 11-point lead. Kyle Lowry (20 points, 12 assists) turned up the heat in the second quarter and second half, finishing with another 20-10 performance. The Raptors are one of the best fourth-quarter teams in the NBA, and they showed that against the Nets, outscoring them 29-16 in the final quarter. (Brooklyn also had a lot of self-inflicted wounds, giving away six turnovers in the fourth quarter.) Big men Jonas Valanciunas (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Amir Johnson (13 points, 9 rebounds) both played key roles down the stretch. These two seem to balance and play off each other very well. The Raptors next game is against the Pistons on Friday.

Grizzlies 117 (21-4), Spurs 116 (17-9) 3OT

This was the game of the night and possibly the game of the year (so far). These two Southwest Division foes and legitimate championship contenders gave their all for 63 minutes of gritty, high-quality basketball. There were countless big shots and big stops for both teams, as neither wanted to let this one slip away. The wildest moment came from Marc Gasol (26 points, 9 rebounds), as he banked in a leaning, one-footed 3-pointer buzzer beater to send this game into its first overtime. However, after a big 3-point shot from Courtney Lee (14 points), Tim Duncan (23 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals) matched Gasol with his own leaning bank shot to push it to a third overtime. In the third and final overtime of this slugfest, Zach Randolph (21 points, 21 rebounds) scored all six of his Grizzlies’ points and snagged two big rebounds as well. Manu Ginobili (21 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds) missed a 3-pointer in the closing seconds that would have given San Antonio the victory. Danny Green (25 points, 5 blocks, 7-13 on 3-pointers) had the green light from distance on the night while Boris Diaw (17 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists) had one of his most balanced games of the year. The Grizzlies received their own 3-point boost from veteran Vince Carter (18 points, 3 steals, 5-9 on 3-pointers) as seems to be coming alive. After reaching double digits only once in his first 21 games with Memphis, Vinsanity has now done so in each of the past two games—both big wins against the Warriors and Spurs. If Carter can keep this up, the Grizzlies just found an important 3-point shooting, bench scoring piece to their championship puzzle.

Blazers 104 (20-6), Bucks 97 (13-13)

Life without Jabari Parker (knee) got off to a rocky start for the Bucks, as they couldn’t find a way to contain the Blazers’ bigs on the night. Thomas Robinson (15 points, 16 rebounds) had a monster performance in his very first NBA start, replacing injured center Robin Lopez (hand). Other than his horrid free throw shooting, Robinson might just be a respectable replacement for the time being. Robinson LaMarcus Aldrdige (23 points, 15 rebounds) both played a key role in helping the Blazers outrebound the Bucks 52-32, allowing Portland to hoist 10 more shots than its opponent. Brandon Knight (24 points) and Khris Middleton (17 points) each held their own on the night, but it will be tough to replace what they lost in what was going to be the Rookie of the Year. Damian Lillard (29 points, 7 assists) also had a big game for Portland as he helped his team overcome a double-digit deficit and claim their 20th win of the year.

Clippers 102 (18-7), Pacers 100 (8-18)

The Clippers were able to sneak by the Pacers because of DeAndre Jordan (15 points, 23 rebounds) and Blake Griffin (31 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists) never giving up on a play. These two combined to snatch 14 offensive rebounds—as many offensive rebounds as the entire Pacers team grabbed. While holding a slim 99-98 lead with under a minute to go, the Clippers needed to get a stop. After Rodney Stuckey (12 points) missed a jumper, Jordan skied for his final rebound of the night, leading to two free throws that extended the Clippers’ lead to three points. Chris Paul (20 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 steals) almost had another 20-10 game in helping Los Angeles win for the 11th time in the last 13 games. The Pacers had seven players in double figures, led by C.J. Miles (17 points) and David West (17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals). As a team, they just turned ice cold down the stretch and only made three field goals in the final six minutes.

Rockets 115 (19-5), Nuggets 111 (10-15) OT

MVP candidate James Harden (41 points, 10 assists) might have allowed Arron Afflalo (22 points) to knock down a game-tying, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send this one into overtime. However, he more than made up for it in the extra five minutes of basketball. After Danilo Gallinari (16 points, 4-8 on 3-pointers) made a 3-pointer with 2:43 left in overtime, the Nuggets led 104-103. The Beard then went on to score eight straight points for the Rockets and give his team a 111-108 lead with just under 24 seconds to go in the game. Patrick Beverley (12 points, 12 rebounds) would make four straight free throws to close this one out and put the Rockets one victory away from their 20th win of the year. Dwight Howard (24 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks) had a monster double-double while Donatas Motiejunas (18 points, 6 rebounds) remained a reliable source of offense in the wake of D12’s recent return to the starting lineup. For the Nuggets, Ty Lawson (12 points, 16 assists) had a great game as a distributor while Wilson Chandler (23 points, 6 rebounds) had the touch from deep. The issue has to be the team defense and lack of interior presence. Kenneth Faried (11 points, 11 rebounds) has been in a weird funk for most of the season and Timofey Mozgov (1 point, 6 rebounds) can only give you so much. They’ll need to find some way to make more stops late in games if they want a chance of finding success.

Center Robin Lopez broke his right hand going for a rebound in the third quarter, and is reportedly expected to miss up to four weeks. The big fella is averaging 9.6 points and 7.2 rebounds.

Per The Columbian:

“I haven’t seen the play,” said Lopez, with a cast covering his right hand. “I think it’s a couple of fractures.”

Lopez said he thought he jammed his finger before determining he was a liability on the court and asked out of the game. While he thinks there could be multiple fractures, he will be re-evaluated Tuesday.

“I don’t like it,” said LaMarcus Aldridge, who finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds. […] “With him out tonight and going forward, other people, whether it’s Thomas (Robinson) or Joel (Freeland) or Meyers (Leonard) or Dorell (Wright), we have to pick up the slack while he’s gone,” Stotts said.

Tim Duncan’s 14 points, 10 boards and 10 assists made him the second-oldest NBA player to record a triple-double in San Antonio’s 107-101 win over the Grizzlies on Friday. TD has now posted a triple-double in—get this—three different decades.

The project’s aim is to accelerate the development of new anticancer drugs; it was launched in 2012.

From the press release:

The San Antonio 1000 Cancer Genome Project is a one-of-a-kind cancer genome research project that has the unprecedented support of more than 200 surgeons, oncologists, and cancer researchers from a broad spectrum of affiliations. This unparalleled collaboration is enabling researchers to step beyond the institutional barriers that currently fragment and piecemeal cancer research, and makes the San Antonio 1000 Cancer Genome Project the largest community-wide undertaking of its kind.

Like most people, Tim Duncan has been touched personally by cancer, and hopes for a cure for cancer in his lifetime. Duncan says he was drawn to the San Antonio 1000 Cancer Genome Project, “because the information collected will ultimately be shared.” […] “The idea that a group of cancer researchers were willing to set aside egos, to make the information freely available and work strictly for the greater good of curing cancer was exactly the type of cancer project I was willing to support,” Duncan said.

The project’s founder is Dr. Anthony Tolcher, director of clinical research for START. […] “I couldn’t have been more surprised and grateful,” said Dr. Tolcher, when presented with Tim Duncan’s donation. “This gift will benefit the people of San Antonio and demonstrates the commitment that Mr. Duncan has to this city and the people of San Antonio.”

If the Philadelphia 76ers lose their next game, they’ll tie the 2009-10 Nets for the worst start to a season in NBA history. That should be a story for Thursday’s Post Up, though. Let’s instead focus on last night—a game the Sixers might’ve, could’ve, almost maybe would’ve won.

No aforementioned -’ve was in the thoughts of anyone prior to the game. Of course not—the defending champion San Antonio Spurs were about to come to town, and it really wouldn’t matter if the stars played or not. The spectacle of When Will the 76ers Get Their First Win? is a nightly (or at least like, bi-weekly) show to tune into or Twitter conversation to follow, but no one thought twice about whether last night’s game could be the one.

When the Spurs hit the peak of their lead—a 24-point advantage—with 2:37 remaining in the first half, the predicted outcome was official right? I mean, couldn’t this Marco Belinelli (11 points) poster be a sort of symbol for how the rest of the NBA teams owned little ol’ Philadelphia?

And still, the Sixers did their best to come back without both Tony Wroten and Nerlens Noel. They outscored the Spurs by nine points in the second half and went on a little run to cut the once 24-point lead to just five with about a minute and a half remaining in the game. Kawhi Leonard (26 points and 10 rebounds) sealed the San Antonio win right after with a layup plus the free throw and the vets went on to win their eighth in a row.

Wizards 107 (11-5), Heat 86 (9-8)

The three-point shot can either be a team’s best friend or worst enemy on any given night. That split personality of the arc was very clearly seen in last night’s Wizards’ blowout win over the visiting Heat. In the first half, the Wiz Kids hit 7-7 from downtown, while the Heat went 2-10. In the second, the Wiz held the Heat to 0-12, and Miami finished on an ugly 9.1 percent shooting night from the arc.

John Wall (18 points and 13 assists) played a heck of a game right from the first quarter, dishing out 5 assists in the opening period. He had another 5 assists in the second, and hit a three at the halfitme buzzer to put DC up 66-49 heading into the locker room. The Heat were unable to catch up in the second half, though both Dwyane Wade (20 points) and Chris Bosh (21 points and 8 rebounds) had respectable numbers.

All in all, it was a fun night for the Wizards and their fans. Why else would Marcin Gortat (15 points and 10 rebounds) show off his nifty dance moves from the bench after this sweet Andre Miller (6 points and 4 assists) play?

Nuggets 103 (9-8), Jazz 101 (5-13)

The Utah Jazz have dug themselves into some deep holes this season. It’s a pattern: go down double-digits, rally, but come up short. The story was the same last night. Utah trailed by as many as 22 in the Nuggets’ visit, but they went on a 22-4 run to tie the game at 83 early in the fourth quarter.

With 5:55 left in the game and the Nuggets up by 4, Arron Afflalo (14 points) was called for a flagrant-two and therefore automatically ejected when he made contact with an airborne Alec Burks (22 points and 8 rebounds) trying to get to the hoop. The game continued with Burks and the Jazz still in it, until Ty Lawson (15 points and 12 assists) got the bounce on a jumper to put the Nuggets up 101-99. Denver went on to win, with all Nuggets contributing to the final score—seven of them in double-digits.

Clippers 127 (12-5), Timberwolves 101 (4-12)

The Los Angeles Clippers played merciless hosts when the Minnesota Timberwolves came to town last night. After the T-Wolves won the first quarter 34-31, the home team outscored their guests 70-34 in the second and third, and went up by as many as 37 early in the fourth. With 23 points apiece and a lead that wasn’t about to fade, JJ Redick and Blake Griffin earned themselves a fourth quarter rest. Redick had 13 of the Clips’ first 19 points in the game, and a couple of four-point plays. Minnesota lost their second straight, but Mo Williams (7 points and 7 assists) and Andrew Wiggins (14 points) did this, so that was kind of nice:

Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Kobe Bryant’s two-year, $48.5 million extension is by far the most unpopular contract in the NBA. Fans and media love to gripe about it, but Kobe couldn’t care less what the outside world thinks.

When asked about the big paycuts star players such as Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, et al. have recently accepted, Bryant says that wouldn’t have been necessary if they wore the Purple and Gold.

Per the LA Daily News:

“Did I take a discount? Yeah,” Bryant said. “Did I take a discount as much as fans want me to? No. Is it a big enough discount to help us be a contender? Yeah. What we tried to do is be in a situation where we take care of the player and the player takes care of the organization enough to put them in a championship predicament.”

But Bryant addressed this issue considering Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki took a steep hometown discount this summer, a three-year deal worth $25 million. […] “I think that means he’s not playing in Los Angeles,” Bryant said. “I think it’s not about the winning portion of it. That’s where players get themselves in a lot of trouble. That might offend some people but I’ve played 19 years in the NBA so I don’t care. It’s about the business of basketball. For a lot of writers and fans, they have a tough time distinguishing the two. This is a business. You have to look at the individuals into what they generated, the market that they generated revenue. You can’t separate them. People have a hard time separating that stuff. From a business perspective you have to take that into account. As a player you have to try to as a player be in situations where you can have a win-win for everybody.”

Bryant also laughed when told (Mark) Cuban has argued against max contracts, saying, “you have to consider the source.” […] “It’s the popular thing to do. Players take less, blah, blah, blah,” Bryant said. “But I think it’s a big coup for the owners to put players in situations where public perception puts pressure on them to take less money. If you don’t then you get criticized for it and all this stuff. It’s absolutely brilliant. But I’m not going for it. I know the new head of the players association isn’t going for it either.”

Immediately after the last second ticked off the clock, James turned to his teammates, patted his chest and said “My bad” as they headed toward the locker room.

“We had an opportunity to tie the game or win it and you want to at least give yourself an opportunity,” James said. “For me, give myself an opportunity to make a shot or get somebody a look. I turned the ball over and I was the first person to acknowledge that’s my fault.”

“Kawhi (Leonard) is a really, really good defender and T.D. (Tim Duncan) is kind of always protecting the paint,” James said. “They want everybody in the paint to try to make it tough on me. I missed some shots. They did a great job forcing me into some tougher shots that didn’t go for me.”